


The Veiled Black

by dementedK



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, F/M, M/M, OMC - Freeform, PowerfulDraco, Werewolf Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:02:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 117,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8461120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementedK/pseuds/dementedK
Summary: ‘You are special, despite being born male you carry my blood and your father’s. And if what I have seen shall come to pass, I wish for you not to walk on that horrible fate. Burn this house to the ground when I die, don’t let me hold you back my love. Hide who you are, trust no one and remember that you have my protection for all eternity, my beloved Draco’ 
As Narcissa died, she left behind a child that is the key to heal the broken bond of Vampires and Werewolves, and finally unite the witches as one.
Draco did not know of his fate, all he knew is that he has to hide, and so he decided to hide himself in the last place that they will find him, the only neutral ground of the races, Hogwarts School.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi it's my first time writing a fanfiction of Harry Potter and im new at it, so please go easy on me im still not sure whether to continue this story of not so please tell me your thoughts about it if ya want me ta continue please leave a comment or kudos. english is not my first language so sorry for the grammar or wrong spellings. thank you and i will appreciate any comments.

Beneath the azure sky, in front of a newly erected tomb a teenage boy crouched in front of it. His blonde almost white hair mingled along with the soft breeze, his eyes that of molten silver with a small hint of blue near the black of it. His pale skin almost looks ethereal, making him look like a woodland creature lost in the land of men. Beside him sat a St. Bernard dog its tongue lolling at the side of its mouth, he also stared at the tomb as if waiting for her to rise up and ruffle his thick fur.

Heaving a huge sigh he did not know he was holding he stood up and placed his hand a top the dog’s and patted it making the dog look at him.

“It’s just you and me now Beau”, and the dog whimpered at him as if sharing the sentiment of loss.

“I just hope that we will be safe wherever we end up”, he gave a grim smile and picked up his luggage and began to walk away. Remembering his Mother’s last words he looked back at the small hut where he and his mother lived together.

_‘You are special, despite being born male you carry my blood and your father’s. And if what I have seen shall come to pass, I wish for you not to walk on that horrible fate. Burn this house to the ground when I die, don’t let me hold you back my love. Hide who you are, trust no one and remember that you have my protection for all eternity, my beloved Draco’_

Closing his eyes, he let go of the leash of Beau but made sure that he would not run away from his side, he raised one of his arms towards the house and when he opened his eyes, they were obsidian. Pulling out all of his strength to burn his home he took a deep breath and uttered one word that made everything he ever knew into dust in minutes.

“Fiendfyre”

He watched as the fire erupted, took the form of a wolf and burned his home, he did not linger anymore, so he picked up Beau’s leash and began to pull him away from the huge fire that he created. His eyes turning back to their original shade of grey as he looked away. He performed his first and final act of magic, it gave him a sense of comfort and fear he could not comprehend. He clamped up his emotions, its time to walk away.

When they were nearly nowhere in sight of the burning house, he heard a howl of despair from the fire and he took a moment to look back before he and Beau used the Portkey that was handed to him by his mother to transport them to a safe place leaving behind everything he ever knew.

 

………

 

“What do you see Bellatrix?”, asked a man in the mirror his face obscured to a woman who has messy hair and is currently looking at a pool of blood created by an already dead man hanging on the ceiling his blood still flowing to the marble floor. The woman suddenly cackled, her laughter bringing a sudden chill to the other humans in their cages and making them flinch further away from her. Her shadows casted by the black candles made her much more devilish.

“Rabastan”, she began then turned to the mirror.

“My traitorous sister, Narcissa is finally dead”

“Finally, our Lord will be much pleased by this”, then a final drop of blood from the dead man caused Bellatrix Lestrange to look behind her once again. She suddenly shrieked making Rabastan Lestrange cover his ears even if he was so far away from her. Her captives also covered their ears both animal and human, when she finally stopped Rabastan asked her none too gently.

“Why,what is wrong Bella?”

“THAT BITCH!”

“What is wrong?”, asked Rabastan frantic.

“She left a fail-safe, a child!”, Rabastan’s eyes widened at this.

“What does this mean Bellatrix?”, Bellatrix grunted, she needed to find the child quickly before he/she gets to the hands of their enemies, she has no time to be explaining.

“Meaning as long as her child lives the barrier of those damned wolves will still be on effect as it is a Blood Ward”, then she smirked looking at the blood once more.

“But we don’t have to worry about a thing”

“Worry!? If the child has inherited her power then no one, not even you can kill her child”

“That is why I told you not to worry!”, she snapped and it made Rabastan clump his mouth shut, he knew not to anger a witch, especially a Black.

“The child is a mere human”, Rabastan’s ears perked up then he grinned wickedly.

“A boy?”, Bellatrix nodded and they both laughed.

“HAHAHAH the most powerful witch to ever be born gave birth to a boy? She could’ve passed it on had the child been a girl, what a waste!”, she cackled in joy and decided to torture one of her prisoners in celebration. She was already about to pull one of her captives in the cage when she was spiked with an idea.

“What are you about to do?”, Rabastan asked, Bellatrix paid him no mind as she waved her hand and a huge map was then laid out to the floor showing the location of the Blood Ward. She knew her strength is not enough to fully destroy the protection but her sister just died and the barrier would feel her loss for a while before its full power will return.

“A warning to those filthy mutts that sooner or later we will purge them of their mudblood”

“Bellatrix, it would do you good to save your energy”, her eyes snapped to him in the mirror and he once again clumped his mouth shut.

“It would do you good to shut up”, with a wave she disconnected their two way mirror then another wave of her hand caused the cages of five of her captives to be opened. None of them moved so with a forceful pull of her power the five captives were suddenly kneeling in a circle like manner all of them facing the map on the marble floor. Their feet and hands were bound to the floor, they all know what is about to happen. All of them were holding their breaths hoping that it would be quick and painless, but that was just an illusion, their captor loved to hear their screams of agony most and they knew that they will feel pain before death.

Bellatrix skipped to pick up a knife on a nearby table and she slit her palm as she began chanting, she could almost feel the fear and taste it emanating from her slaves. Then a spell she learned from one of her dear sisters she casted on the five simultaneously.

“Sectumsempra”, they all screamed in agony and she almost cackled at the glorious and beautiful sound but she resisted to continue chanting. The  blood from the five along with hers mingled, she sneered at the way her blood mixed along with the humans but she knew that it would magnify her power if she brought a sacrifice to conjure the spell. The blood flowed and all were directed to one place on the map, Gryffindor Lands. She could almost see the clouds forming just above the vast land then she grinned then uttered.

“Transverbero Fulmen”, in the map all it looked like an invisible dome protecting the land but the blood was now covering it, she fully pushed on her magic and it caused the five slaves to bleed more and their eyes rolling at the back of their eyelids, but she did not care. It brought her more joy when she suddenly saw a crack on it. She was about to continue on her onslaught when she realized the five were already dead and a trickle of blood was coming out of her nose.

“Tsk!”, she irked and wiped her blood with the back of her hand, then uttered another spell that easily cured her.

“WORMTAIL!!!!”, she screamed and after a few seconds a man was scurrying to reach her side came about.

“Yes Lady Lestrange”, he asked trying hard not to stutter.

“Clean up this mess”, she said as she left the room now bloodied and full of cadavers.

“What do I do with them?”, he flinched when the black hired witch stared down at him, he was about to cower.

“I don’t care do it NOW!”, the man scurried off do to what he was told in fear of the punishment the black haired witch might cast upon him.

Bellatrix looked down at the now damaged barrier before it flicked away ending the spell and she uttered.

“Soon, Cissy I will destroy your barrier, and not to worry I will hunt down my dear nephew and he will follow you soon enough in the land of the dead”

 

………..

 

Obsidian eyes were snapped open as Sirius Black awakened from a dream, he calmed his breathing and as fast as he could he ran towards the basement of his house. He switched on the lights and there he saw the family tree that his cousin Narcissa Black placed as the foundation of her Blood ward. He looked upon it closely to see that just below her cousin’s picture was the day of her birth and what astonished him most was the day of her death, which was dated as that very same day.

His eyes widened and he ran upstairs grabbed his cloak and went out to the pack house to warn his Alpha and Luna of what had happened. He was no witch, even with the Black blood that flows in his veins, no male has ever been a witch, but he could feel it, the Blood Wards are weakening and only he is holding it together now because of his connection to his cousin, though weak.

Reaching the pack house he knocked upon the door of his Alpha and Luna hoping that his intrusion be forgiven at how dire the situation. A few moments later his Alpha opened the door not pleased for the sudden interruption of his sleep. His brown eyes suddenly being awakened when he saw who was in front of his door.

“Sirius, what is wrong?”, the current Alpha, James Potter asked worry laced in his voice. Before Sirius could tell him of what happened the sky rumbled. Then they both went out to the nearest balcony, only to see dark clouds hovering above.

“Who is doing this?”, James asked without taking his eyes off the sky.

“Bellatrix”, Sirius muttered his eyes widening.

“Oh my god”, a gasp was heard behind them only to see Lily Potter looking up the sky horrified. Her husband beckoned her and they held hands as they watched the lightning clashed with the ward, its hits were getting stronger and stronger. Most of the pack was now awake watching to see what was happening, most of them were terrified that it might break the ward and are taking cover for the worst.

“She would be crazy enough to try when she fully knows that Narcissa’s protection is upon us, unless..”, James stated turning to look at Sirius. Then Sirius’ head bowed as if in resignation.

“Cissa’s dead”, both the Potters gasped at this revelation, then James schooled his expression. Lily began sobbing and he hugged her at his chest, he tried to soothe her. Narcissa despite her somewhat cold exterior was a kind friend that helped them through the war, and with her protection they experienced peace for 20 years but they all knew it was not going to last. So for the past 20 years they prepared themselves for war, for they knew sooner or later it will knock on their doorstep.

“I-“, James was cut off from his words when a huge crack appeared on the Blood Ward, he was already prepared to make an order when the clouds dissipated ending the storm.

“Siruis, will the ward hold?”, his voice laced with serious at the moment and Sirius answered honestly.

“With me being here, the ward will hold, but only for a while”, Remus came rushing in and he stopped when he all saw them at the balcony and he approached them.

“Remus, alert all the others to prepare for any sudden movements”, a single look from his Alpha to Lily to Sirius and he fully understood and began heading to down the pack house to alert the other grown ups.

“James, the children”, Lily began but was cut off by the soft smile given to her by her husband.

“Don’t worry Lily, no one would dare to break the treaty placed in Hogwarts, it is a neutral territory for any kind”

“Don’t worry Alpha, Luna, the spell Bellatrix used is powerful and she would not dare any attempt soon…but the wards my blood cannot sustain it alone”

“With her death it changes a lot of things, how about Andromeda can she help us?”

“No she is currently the High witch and I doubt that even her will be wary in fear of Bellatrix”

“Indeed”, James said as he looked up the sky the ward now turning invisible.

“War will soon be upon us, they have been biding their time waiting for her death to continue what they had started and if the ward falls....”, James no longer continued his sentence as they knew the answer to it. If the Blood Ward should fall the whole werewolf race will perish, humans will become nothing but food and witches will be harnessed for their powers.

Sirius suddenly snapped his head towards them both making them stare at him in confusion. He saw something beneath the picture of his cousin a branch beneath it, a child.

“James, Lily will you please follow me to the heart of the ward, I might've seen something that can help us protect our race”, nodding their heads they all followed Sirius to his home and went down the basement.

“I was right”, Sirius stated as Lily peered closely to the family tree and traced her fingers to the tapestry and followed the branch just below Narcissa’s name.

“She has a child”, she looked back with hope in her eyes and she looked back in order to see the face only to be disappointed when there was none shown, only a name.

“There is no picture Sirius”, and they all looked at the tapestry closely and saw that there was none.

“Narcissa's must've made it in order to protect her child, Bellatrix can easily know who it is if she did not do this”, James nodded to Sirius as the all stared at the name written below, where the picture should be.

“Her husband was not part of the tree either”, James asked in confusion as it usually showed just like on the others but there were none.

“Even I did not know who it is”, Sirius stated and Lily traced the name of the child.

“Draco Abraxas Black”

“We have to find him before Bellatrix does”, James said hope sparkling in his brown eyes and this made Sirius chuckle.

“Let us begin then, in finding Draco”

 


	2. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments, i appreciate it. makes me more motivated in writing

Arriving at Diagon Alley for him was not a shock, he knew why he was sent there. Pulling on his hood he covered his hair and made sure not to be seen, though that was going to be easy since it is still past midnight and no one is present. The streets were quiet and his footsteps echoed in the night as he walked straight to Gringotts.

As soon as the door was in sight he was about to knock on it but he was a bit surprised when it opened and inside revealed two goblins standing there as if waiting for his arrival. One of them looked at his pocket watch before returning it back to its pocket.

“Right on time, Heir Black”, his eyes widened and Beau growled as he also positioned to attack the goblin.

“No need for hostility, your mother informed us of your arrival and your purpose here”, then his stance softened and he brushed his hand to Beau’s head to calm the dog.

“My name is Ragnok and this is Griphook, he has been managing the Black Family Fortune since the job was passed on to him”, they introduced themselves and Draco bowed in thanks.

“If you would please follow us”, and the two goblins began walking and Draco followed them along with Beau who remained wary but followed. When they were about to ride the cart to go to his vaults he noticed that Beau was a bit startled and so he decided to leave him there to wait for him.

“Stay here Beau I will be right back”, the dog whimpered but followed his order. They all rode the cart and it took them a while before they reached their destination. The cart came to a halt in front of a huge stony wall that seemed to be the entrance of the vault.

“Vault Number 129”, stated one of the goblins, named Griphook.

“Now this is where we will know if you are a fake or not, for only those of Black Blood can open this vault”, Ragnok explained to Draco and he merely nodded then Griphook handed him a small silver knife.

“Thanks”, then he held it up to see how sharp it is then holding out his right hand he made a clean cut from it. Draco then placed his palm to the stone gate and as if on cue the stone walls parted to allow him passage inside. Without saying anything he entered the vault that was suddenly lit up as he entered, its fires flickering as if awakened from its long slumber.

Ignoring all the grimoires, golds, jewels and other more adorning the vault he seeked the only thing he wished to see. Finding the family tree he traced the lines of his Mother’s portrait and allowed his hands to linger there for a while the goblins allowing him a moment of silence before Ragnok spoke.

“What kind of assistance may we offer you, Young Black”, Draco’s eyes no longer lingered to the tapestry and he looked back at the goblins waiting for his reply. Then slowly he removed his hood to reveal his appearance, in the light of the torches his hair seemed like gold, his grey eyes glowed amidst it all. The two goblins looked at each other before they nodded at one another.

“I want to disappear”

“You do not want the world to know of your existence?”, Draco nodded.

“I fear that is a bit too late as of the moment, Young Black. As Lady Narcissa died her protection upon you weakened allowing your existence to be known”

“I know”, he whispered then he looked straight at the goblins and said.

“I want to live not as Draco Black but as another, and in order for that to happen I need your help”, then he picked up a necklace from one of the shelves and showed it to them.

“You want us to charm it to hide who you are”

“Yes”, he looked at them pleadingly. “…please”

Ragnok and Griphook looked at one another in silent conversation they both knew of what will happen should they succeed, but when the boy looked at them with tired pleading eyes they both nodded and accepted.

“I will create a new name for you Young Black, what would you like it to be?”

“Marius. Marius Clarke, I assume you know of Regina Clarke?”, he remembered the kind old witch with that surname near their cottage who died months ago and he thought that it would be a good cover for him.

“I shall see it done, I will also ensure that any use of your vault will not be traced to the Black family vaults”

“Thank you”, Draco said once more and Griphook nodded Apparating then his gaze fell to Ragnok who already took the necklace and began casting spells upon spells upon it.

“It is done, Young…Clarke”, he said as he handed the necklace, it was a simple necklace with a silver chain and a small emerald placed on it. As he wore it he could no longer feel his magic pulsing within him and it brought him a bit of discomfort but he calmed himself and tried to get use to it.

“Thank you as well Ragnok”

“No it is alright Young Marius it is an honor to meet and be of service”

“May your gold multiply and prosper”, and Ragnok smiled at this and bowed his head as Draco did the same.

“Will you not change your appearance?”

“No this is better Ragnok, some witches may find me suspicious”, a sudden crack of apparition made them look at the direction where now Griphook stood.

“Where would you wish to reside Young Marius? The house at--”he was cut off when Draco suddenly stated.

“The small cottage, with the unplottable land”, he said with a grin when he saw the stunned expressions of Griphook and Ragnok.

“I memorized all the properties of the Black Family and besides that old cottage has been known to be destroyed, no one will be able to enter but me”

“As you wish Young Marius”

“Oh, though I won’t be staying there for a while since I need my transfer papers to enroll to Hogwarts”

“But that would mean….”

“What better place to hide than just under their noses”, he grinned bitterly then continued.

“That is the best place for me to go for now…it is after all the closest place to her”, Ragnok looked at Griphook then nodded and Griphook already knew what to do. Ragnok saw the intelligence that the boy was hiding but he could also see his sadness, he is still after all mourning her death. The child she so deeply hid is now thrust into a world where war is about to begin and whichever side he goes war will follow him, he wondered whether he knew the meaning of his name then Narcissa’s voice rang to his mind.

_“I know that we can never run away from fate, as it is cruel as it is as sweet, but I wish in hope to ease the burden that he is about to carry, and allow him happiness even for a while. So please whatever path he chose give him a choice, do this for me, my friend.”_

“Everything will be prepared by tomorrow Young Marius, please take a rest at one of the guest rooms here. We will inform you soon of the news from Hogwarts when it arrives”,

“Thank you”, his voice was soft and it reminded Ragnok of Narcissa’s voice the last time he saw her then he clapped his hands and a house elf appeared and curtsied.

“Izzy, is a former Black now a Clarke elf, she is now yours. Izzy bring Young Marius to one of the guest rooms please”

“Yes Ragnok,sir”, with a pop of apparition they disappeared leaving Ragnok to follow as well as the vault closes when the Heir leaves banishing any who is not of Black blood from within its walls.

“I wish of you good luck, Draco Black”, he whispered to himself as he saw the back of the boy walk away headed to one of the guest rooms along with his huge dog.

 

…….

 

It was now mid-October and the weather was tuning more colder than before and so Harry clutched on his Invisibility cloak closer to his chest. He sighed deeply as he looked above the sky in the Astronomy Tower, all he was thinking about when he returned to Hogwarts was that he might meet his Mate. But ever since he entered the huge doors of the Great Hall no scent ever called onto him. Instead it made him much more agitated, it felt as if there is a huge hole in his very being that he cannot fulfill. The huge itch to scour the world to find his Mate was tempting but he knew that his parents would not allow him to abandon his responsibilities.

He slouched at one of the walls and slid off on the ground, it felt cold to his bottom but he ignored the cold, but instead he relished in it as it made him numb. He looked upon the mark on his arm where an insignia of runes were written all around it. The runes appeared on his 16th birthday along with his change in appearance in his wolf form. According to Hermione this meant that his mate is a witch, but he has searched through almost all of the witches in Hogwarts and yet his mate was not one of them.

He furrowed his eyebrows and negative thoughts crawled upon his mind causing him to whimper, as there were a lot of what ifs.

 _‘What if she is already dead? Or married? Or has another loved one?’_ , he growled at this thought and he did not notice an owl swoop down until it landed on his knee. He easily recognized the owl as his father’s and began to unwrap the letter from the owls talons carefully. He found it a bit odd for him to receive an owl at this time.

 _‘Did something happen?’_ , he quickly unfolded the letter and began to read.

_‘Harry,_

_Please gather our older pack members (witches and werewolves both) currently attending Hogwarts tomorrow after all of your classes. Remus will meet you all at The Room of Requirement, I wish I could tell you the matter in this letter but such news need to be known by all of you. Stay safe son._

_P.S. Your mother has been asking you if you had already found your mate yet._

_P.P.S. She send her love always._

_Love,_

_Dad’_

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and folded the letter and pocketed it, he then stood up and began his trek to the Griffindor Tower. He has to inform the others of this, if Remus has to personally come to Hogwarts it only means that something bad happened or is about to happen.

He quickened his pace and stopped when he was already in front of the Fat Lady, he easily murmured the password and entered the common room. He was expecting to find no one there but he was wrong as he saw Hermione Granger reading a thick Tome while Ron Weasley was lounging on the couch still grumbling and mumbling incoherent words. They both looked up when they saw him enter and the loud thunk was heard from the book Hermione was reading and Harry raised his eyebrows at her.

“Where were you Harry?”, he then shrugged his shoulders then pushed off Ron’s feet off the couch for him to sit there making Ron sit up properly.

“Astronomy Tower”, he then picked up the letter from his pocket and handed it to Hermione which she took and began to read.

“I will alert the others at Ravenclaw”, she said and she handed back the letter to Harry and Harry tried to hand it to a sulking Ron hugging a pillow he did not see he was holding on a while ago.

“Mate, here”, and Ron flinched and shook his head.

“No just tell me what is inside it”

“Well Dad is asking all older pack members to go to the Room of Requirement tomorrow after our classes”, then Ron grumbled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Come off it Ron, I mean its not that bad right?”, then Ron grunted so loud.

“Not that bad!? Harry my mate is a fucking VAMPIRE”

“And?”

“Oh did I almost forgot that she is also fucking Pansy Parkinson, slash girlfriend of the BIGGEST GIT of the whole world”

“Well at least you already found your mate”, Hermione stated and Ron sighed deeply, he knows that his two best friends haven’t found their respective mates.

“Right I’m sorry. I’ll try to talk to her, maybe”, then Hermione smiled at him.

“Hey if she ever rejects you just tell me I will make her life a living hell”, then Harry chuckled and then the others all followed. Hermione never makes threats but if she does she will be sure to do it.

“By the way Hermione how did you get here?”, then she gave a small smile.

“Being a witch has its perks Harry how many times have I told you that”, then Harry gave a boyish smile then he stood up and stretched picked up the letter and they all said their goodnight’s as the two werewolves headed up the stairs and Hermione headed off to Ravenclaw Tower.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment on it, would appreciate it since im still new at making this fanfic, thanks!!


	3. Multiple Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter is written by J.K. Rowling all the characters belong to her  
> this fanfic is just a work of my imagination and i only own the plot  
> ok i think this is by far one of the longest chapter not sure though hihi...enjoy!  
> thanks for the kudos and comments once gain, you guys are amazing

Morning came and the bright rays of the sunlight were the first thing that awakened Marius from his deep slumber. The Dreamless sleep he took worked perfectly fine as he felt his body well rested despite of what just occurred to him last night. He abruptly woke up when a sudden pop echoed in the room, making him alert and grap the dagger he kept under his pillow and pointed it to the creature’s throat.

“M-master Marius, sir, Izzy is sorry sir”, the house-elf’s squeaking voice snapped him back and he lowered him dagger and sighed.

“I’m sorry Izzy, you startled me”

“I is sorry Master, Izzy will iron her ears later sir”, Marius’ eyes widened at this.

“Izzy, I forbid you from punishing yourself”, the elf’s ears perked up at this and her eyes were became more wider and it sparkled with unshed tears. Seeing this one of his eyebrows were raised but he decided not to pry into the old masters of the elf.

“I…Yes Master Marius”

“Izzy why are you here?”

“Master, Master Griphook is be looking for you, saying about a letter”

“I see, tell him I will be there in a minute, Thank you Izzy”, Izzy bowed and with a pop she disappeared. Marius took a shower and changed his clothes before going out to meet with Griphook.

“Griphook, I apologize for making you wait”

“No it is fine Young Clarke, the letter we have sent has been approved by the Headmaster”

“Really?”

“But you need to head there firstly in order to take exams for them to make sure that you can catch up with their studies, will that be alright with you?”, Marius smiled at this and nodded.

“Exellent then, here this is a portkey that is set to leave in 20 minutes and will directly lead you to the Headmaster’s office where you will meet with the Headmaster, probably to ask some questions”

“That is fine by me, thank you once again for this”

“Young Clarke we bid you the best of luck”, then Griphook bowed and apparated away after handing Marius with a watering can portkey.

Marius clutched his necklace and fiddled with it for a while before taking a deep breath and releasing it, then he turned to the corner to look for Izzy, seeing that she is not anywhere there he called upon her.

“Izzy”, with a pop she appeared quickly.

“Yes Master”, she curtsied.

“Bring out my baggage then please head on to this address along with Beau, I am about to head to Hogwarts for some exams that I have to take”, as he gave the elf a parchment where he wrote the address of the unplottable land he has chosen. Beau appeared and sat near his legs and he ruffled his thick fur white fur that has spots of brown in it.

“Beau go with Izzy for now, then maybe if I get accepted I will ask the Headmaster if I can take you with me”, Beau lolled his tongue and barked at him and this made him smile, a sudden pop made him look away from Beau only to see Izzy.

“Master is be going now?”

“Yes Izzy”

“But Master not ate yet”

“I will be fine Izzy”, he smiled at her then she bowed and she popped away with Beau to the address given to her. He checked on his watch and saw that the portkey is about to activate so he held onto it along with his baggage. He felt alone without Beau by his side but he knew he will be fine, then he felt the same pull of a portkey and he closed his eyes.

….

As he opened his eyes  all he saw was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard's hat. On the table was a bowl full of what seemed to be sweets, he was looking around when he saw what he thought to be a bird but when he looked closely, his eyebrows raised and he saw a phoenix.

 _‘No wonder until not he is still alive, his life essence is connected to the phoenix’,_ Marius thought and as he waited an old man with long beard and wearing moon spectacles was staring at him from above the stairs of the office his eyes twinkling. Then the Headmaster made his way down the stairs then he stood up straight, Albus Dumbledore smiled at him as he sat down on his chair.

“Please sit, Mr.Clarke”, he said as he waved to the direction of the chair.

“Thank you Headmaster”

“You fully know that Hogwarts is a school for the following species: Vampire, Lycan/ Werewolf, Witches and Humans who were born from witches all males”, Draco nodded at this letting the Headmaster continue on.

“Knowing that you are born from a witch you may chose to stay in this world or be Obliviated and live a quiet life in the Muggle world, you still have a choice, my boy.”

“My decision is made up Headmaster, I wish to follow the footsteps of my grandmother and become a Potions Master”

“Ah yes Mrs. Clarke was a good Potioneer, though it really makes me sad to hear about her passing”, then Marius bowed his head then answered.

“Well she was already getting old”, and Dumbledore nodded at this.

“What you are doing is a very brave thing Mr. Clarke, though I have to warn you. You are the first human in a few years to be attending this instituition as others decided not to attend this school due to some horrid incidents in the past and your subjects will be quite a lot than the others, will you be ok with that?”

“Yes sir”

“I see my boy. You will have to take up exams for the following subjects, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Vampire and Werewolf Studies, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and History of Magic, Werewolves and Vampires. Have you prepared my boy? If not we could give you sufficient time to review”, Dumbledore asked kindly his fangs showing when he smiled and Marius shook his head.

“No sir I will be fine, which subject would I take first?”, and Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled at this then he stood up and beckoned for Marius to follow after him.

“Oh Mr. Clarke you may leave your baggage here and just take some parchments and quills”, Marius nodded then opened his bag to pick up those he needed and followed the Headmaster out of his office.

“As you know some professors will try to test you for any kind of topic ranging from First year to Fourth year and keeping up with the studies of Fifth years will be quite—well too much I should say”

“I will be fine Headmaster, thank you for your concern”, he said as they reached a door near the dungeons but before they were to enter, Dumbledore looked at him.

“Ah and Mr. Clarke since you are the only human attending do be careful of the Slytherin House”, Marius’ eyes perked up at this then he retorted.

“Headmaster just because it is the house of Vampires does not mean that all of them will come to attack me. I mean Ravenclaws can also try to test their hexes and curses on me and Werewolves might punch the lights out of me just beacause they cannot hold their temper”, he said quirking his eyebrows and the Headmaster’s eyes widened then he broke out into a smile.

“What an interesting lad you are Mr. Clarke, you do not allow prejudices to cloud your entire mindset. Many might not get along with your idea but indeed you are right, and I think it is time to unite these houses don’t you think?”, then Marius tilted his head as if he does not know what the Headmaster meant then said.

“I do not know what you mean Headmaster”, then Dumbledore smiled at this before he opened the door. The strong smell of potions assaulted his senses as soon as they entered the room, a dozen of students in pairs were chopping and mixing in their cauldrons. There were no sounds present except for the chopping, bubbling and soft whispers of students, they were all concentrated in their works that they did not notice him nor the Headmaster enter the room.

 _‘And they call themselves vampires and werewolves’_ , he almost rolled his eyes at his own thought but controlled himself, then a drawling voice was heard and it made his stop his sight seeing only to find that all eyes are on him.

“Headmaster”

“Ah Professor Snape I was about to send one of yout students to fetch you in your office”, he said amused.

“Well that is no need Headmaster, instead may I ask what is a human doing in my classroom?”, he raised his eyebrow in question at Marius’ direction.

“Ah Professor, I’m sure you remember in our meeting this early morning, this is Mr. Clarke and he is here to take the needed exams for him to enter in our school.”, Marius kept his head down as he noticed the hungry eyes of the students and he did not dare look up.

“Very well, you may leave him in my care”

“Excellent, now Mr. Clarke. After your exam with Professor Snape he will kindly escort you to Professor McGonagall, won’t you Professor Snape?”, then he turned to look at Professor Snape who looked about to snap but was holding it in.

“Of course Headmaster”, then Dumbledore left the room after waving a hand to Marius smiling.

“Now Mr. Clarke please take any seat you wish to occupy”, and he nodded his head, seeing an empty seat next to what looked to be a Gryffindor, he took his seat there and the rest of the class still stared at him.

“Sixth Years! Pay attention to your cauldrons or I will take points from every single one of you”, Professor Snape’s threat was taken seriously and they all turned away and continued on making their potions.

As Professor Snape went to his desk to pick up some books, he turned his head to the sixth year seated next to him and saw that he is currently struggling with his potion. He took a peak at his book and he saw that they are currently brewing the Draught of Living Death. He noticed that the student next to him is about to put another ingredient on his potion, Marius stopped him before he was able to do it.

….

Neville Longbottom was having a bad day, he just turned 16 the same as Harry and the worst part was it that he found out who his mate was. He had been struggling on how to tell his mate nor his pack mates who his mate was but he was terrified of doing so. He knew he would probably be shamed and kicked out of the pack if they found out who it was.

Starting with potions as their first subject along with Slytherins made it a whole lot worser, because he woke up late he found out that he has no partner as someone from the vampires took a sick day. And now he was struggling to make the potion by himself and the sneering of Professor Snape did not help at all.

He was about to sigh in relief when he thought the Headmaster was about to cancel their classes because of some emergency but he was wrong, instead a human was about to take exams to be able to attend Hogwarts. They were all shocked and stunned at this, ever since those incidents years ago no human has dared to enter Hogwarts any longer. He was even more stunned when the said human sat next to him, his eyes cast down, there were no signs of fear nor nervousness gracing his whole being, just—pure indifference.

When Professor Snape shouted at them he turned back to his potion, he was already so distracted for the day that he did not notice that he was about to place more than the said amount of Valerian root. A hand stopped him from putting the Valerian root to his cauldron and he snapped his head only to see the human doing so.

“Uhm..”, Neville began as he was wondering why and the human pointed it towards him and his eyes widened.

“You are about to put too much, which would’ve caused your potion to explode”, he merely stated then he let go of his wrist, then Neville slowly lowered his hand and began to take the proper amount then dropped it on his cauldron, he sighed when the cauldron did not explode then he turned towards the human.

“Uhm thanks”, then the human merely nodded. When he noticed that Professor Snape was approaching then bringing some books he looked away and began to stir his potion slowly.

“Mr. Clarke, I will be giving you five different types of potions that you need to brew one for each year that you have missed”, Neville heard this and he could not stop himself when he suddenly blurted out.

“But Professor isn’t that too much?”, and both Professor Snape and the human looked at him as if he was saying something wrong, then Snape raised his eyebrows at him.

“And your point Mr. Longbottom is?”, Neville stuttered and whe he was about to respond, the grey eyed human answered after he gave a small smile to him.

“There will be no problem about the tests Professor, but since I need to see Professor McGonagall for my exam later my I borrow five cauldrons?”, Snape’s eyebrows raised at this but ignored it and ordered two students to procure him what he asked.

“Will that be satisfactory for you Mr. Clarke?”, he sneered at Marius and he only grinned staring at the cauldrons.

“Yes thank you Professor”, as he was given the books and what potions he needed to brew he began reading the books thoroughly then as if in a daze, he arranged the cauldrons so they were surrounding him and only allowed a small place for him to walk out of the desks to pick up the ingredients.

Not knowing where the ingredients cabinet is he slowly poked the boy that was sitting near him, he could’ve poked the Gryffindor boy from a while ago but he was busy stirring so he thought not to.

“Hey..sorry for interrupting you but where is the ingredients cabinet?”

“Uhm..it’s that way”, then when he noticed that he had a lot of ingredients to carry he sighed. Then the boy he asked from shared a look with his partner and he shrugged then he offered.

“Want me to help you?”, Marius thought for a while before nodding and they both headed to the ingredients cabinet.

“Thanks”

“I’m Blaise by the way. Blaise Zabini”, he said as he offered his hand to Marius and he shook it.

“Marius. Marius Clarke”, then they both picked up the ingredients and headed back to the desk where Marius decided to place his ingredients then he took a peek at their potion then said.

“You should use 13 Sopophorous beans for the juice not 12, then stir seven times anti-clockwise then clockwise once”

“Wait but that’s not what is written on the book?”

“Believe me”, Blaise grinned at him and as he left the ingredients at the table he trapsied off to his partner’s side and told him of what Marius said.

….

Severus Snape kept a keen eye on the newcomer, seeing how the boy easily weaved his way through chopping, slicing and dicing the ingredients with precision. He was even humming to himself as he was mixing and adding ingredients one after another, without hesitation.

For a minute he saw a glimpse of someone he knew in the boy but he shook his head, he knew it is not possible. He had given the boy the following potions to brew: Forgetfulness Potion, Sleeping Draught, Shrinking Solution, Draught of Peace and added a Sixth year potion in it, Amortentia, he had not named these potions and allowed the boy to see if he would be able to know when and where one has to brew that specific potion and also he hoped that the child will fail. Hogwarts is no longer safe for humans and Dumbledore’s thought of changing this has caused this child to be like an animal to be fattened for slaughter.

 He sneered when he say the boy just finishing up two of his potions and he also noticed his students casting a curious eye on the human. If the child ever get to pass all his exams he is sure to keep him by his side, Slytherins will try their hardest to take a bite at a new prey after all.

…..

Harry was shocked to see a human actually entering the school in a very long time, that he nudged Ron hard he almost toppled off his seat, which made Ron grunt in response and he threw an apologetic look and continued staring at the human.

He wached him closely, white blonde-almost white hair he looked like sore thumb amidst all of them who had dark colored hairs. Then when the human noticed that they were all staring at him, he merely bowed his head but he did not feel like he was embarrassed, nor scared he did not look like he should feel something.

Harry tried his best to see what the human’s eyes looked like but because he was by the middle part of the desks and he sat next to Neville who is currently at the back of the class alone, he gave up and decided to just focus on their potion along with Ron.

“What is wrong with him?”, Ron whispered at Harry.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant why doesn’t he smell like fear or anything at all?”, then it suddenly registered to Harry that even he could not smell anything from the human. He knew that every being has their own scents that make them unique but that human has no scent at all.

“Maybe its because of the fumes of the classroom that is making our noses not function properly”, he tried to reason out and Ron just shrugged his shoulders and they both continued on their brewing.

A sudden voice from Neville made them all look back to see that Neville was questioning their Potions Professor, a lot of them quirked their eyebrows at this. Neville never talks back nor asks a question to Professor Snape even if his like depended on it, especially Professor Snape. Everybody knows that Neville Longbottom feared the Vampire Professor so much that it affects his brewing.

Harry’s eyes widened when he saw the small and brief smile that the human gave to Neville and he finally saw the human’s eyes for the first time. They were liquid silver, but when he blinked it hardened to that of a stormy grey. It was fascinating how easily it changed along with his demeanor, and the way he manipulated Snape to let him borrow five cauldrons for him to use.

“Hey mate, I know the human is interesting but I need you here in brewing”, murmured Ron and Harry shook his head and turned his head away and began trying to make the blasted potion.

A few minutes later he then saw the human walk out of the ingredients cabinet along with a Slytherin, Blaise Zabini. His eyes followed them until they both laid out the ingredients to the human’s table and the human whispered something to Zabini that made the Slytherin look confused. Then the human said something then grinned and Zabini grinned back at him, nodded and walked back to his desk with Nott, sharing what the human told him. He wanted to know what he said to Zabini but due to the silencing charms that Professor McGonagall infused in all of the classrooms, their heightened hearing is rendered useless.

His eyes then travelled back to the human— _no Snape called him Mr. Clarke, he is Clarke then_. Then watched as Clarke easily chopped, diced, mixed, stirred and added the ingredients as if he had already done those potions regularly. He was not even looking at the books to follow instructions and he was even humming.

 _‘Damn, he is good’_ , he then heard a sigh by his side and saw that Ron is shaking his head.

“Harry I know the new guy is hot and all but please help me with this potion then after you can oogle at him”

“I am not oogling him”, he said defensively and crossed his hands at his chest and huffed.

“I mean just look at how he brews each potion, he doesn’t even look at the books for guidance and he is even humming”, and Ron took a look and that was when they saw Marius already finishing up two of the potions and now bottling them up.

“Okay, I think Hermione would need to know about this”, Ron said.

“Why?”

“Because I mean look at that kid, he might even get a praise from Snape with how he does it and Hermione would die to know the secret on how to get an O at Snape’s class”, Ron said flailing his arms.

“Oh”, then they both started chuckling which earned them a glare from Snape himself and they both stopped immediately, then with a last lingering look he began to concentrate with their potion.

….

Marius smiled to himself when he was about to brew the last potion in his exam for potions when he realized that it might cause some problems seeing that there are werewolves and vampires present, that has heightened senses. So he decided to raise his hand and hope that Professor Snape would notice him. And as soon as he raised his hand the Professor raised his eyebrow at him and he began to drawl in a bored tone.

“Is there something wrong Mr. Clarke?”, then he placed his hands at his side then tilted his head.

“Professor would it not cause a disturbance if I suddenly brew this potion?”, Snape stood up from his desk and began to head his way.

“And what potion is it Mr. Clarke?”, then with a blank face he answered the Professor.

“Amortentia, sir”, several students snapped their heads at him and Snape tried to suppress a smile on his face.

“What makes you think it is Amortentia?”

“Well Professor, Ashwinder eggs are common ingredient in many varieties of love potions, as are Rose thorns, peppermint, Moonstone and Pearl dust which is an ingredient for all love potions. And to have all these ingredients all together it only means one potion, Amortentia”, Snape grinned at him then easily hid it with his drawl.

“And why have you decided not to brew it?”

“Well seeing that all students present here are all both werewolves and vampires, meaning their senses are more heightened they might go on a rampage and instead of mild obsession, they might decide to kill the person they are most attracted to”

_‘Smart kid to be able to identify the potion and decided not to brew it’_

“Fifty points to Hufflepuff, and you may not brew that potion. Perhaps you can assist Mr. Longbottom in his potion as I am taking you as a student of mine now in this class. So you better pass all of your exams.”, he said then his robe billowed along with him as he returned back to his seat and continued grading some essays. He ignored the shocked expressions of his students and when he lifted his eyes to gaze back at them one glare made them all continue their brewing.

Marius helped Longbottom salvage his potion that can earn him a passable grade. Marius suggested they redo it but Longbottom was adamant that it might bother him so he went along with it.

As the bell rang students began placing their potions into a vial with their name on it passed it to Snape. Marius stayed at his seat waiting for the Professor to escort him to Professor McGonagall.

"Uhm, Clarke thanks again for helping me", Longbottom said playing with the hems of his robe looking down. Marius tilted his head, then gave him a grin.

"Hey its ok, i know you just feel intimidated by the Professor but with a little nudge you can pass this subject with an O", Longbottom's eyes widened at this and he looked about to laugh but then instead his cheeks flamed.

"No i can't", he said and Marius noticed that he lacked confidence in himself so he hummed and an idea popped in his head then he held out his hand in front of him making Longbottom stare at him.

"Marius Clarke, pleasure to make your acquaintance", he grinned at him and Longbottom's eyes widened, after a short hesitation he shook Marius' hand.

"Nevile Longbottom, but please call me Neville", he smiled shyly at him.

"Then call me Marius", he stated as they both let go but then Neville’s smile suddenly disappeared and bowed his head and Marius looked behind him to see what made him do that only to see, Blaise Zabini smiling down at him.

“Hey Mari”, he smirked at him and Marius raised one eyebrow at him.

“Zabini”, he nodded curtly then sneaked a peek at Longbottom who is still looking down but now he is fidgeting and seemed restless, then he looked behind Zabini to see his partner looking warily at them leaning on one of the tables near them.

“Please call me Blaise, by the way your suggestion earlier made our potion better, how’d you know about that anyway? Hey can you tutor us and Theo some time…well after you get accepted that is”, he said then motioning to his partner who is called Theo.

“Apologies, I’m Theodore Nott, but you can call me Theo”, he introduced himself and Marius gave a curt nod.

“uh…I-I should go”, Neville stuttered and before he was able to leave Marius pulled him back and placed his arm on his shoulder then turned to Blaise with a huge grin.

“Sorry but I promised to tutor Neville in potions first”

“What?”, Neville and Blaise said at the same time and they looked at one another before Neville looked down again his ears looking a bit red. Marius smirked at this and it looks like Theo has a bit on inkling at what is happening and raised one of his eyebrows before he spoke.

“Blaisey, aren’t you crap at Herbology?”, Blaise’s head snapped to face Theo so fast it almost cracked.

“Don't.Call.Me.Blaisey. And you didn’t have to say that out loud Mr. Just-Read-The-Books-And-You’ll-Pass”

“Well Blaise right in front of you is the one with the highest grade in Herbology, Longbottom himself, don’t you think it would do you good to seek his help?”, now Neville looked about to faint and Marius almost chuckled but controlled it.

“Hey if you guys need help in Potions I will gladly help you along with Neville, and Neville can help you with Herbology and you can help me in both Vampire and Werewolf Studies along with History. How about it, I mean it’s not that bad if we study together, right?”, he waited for their responses and Blaise nodded along with Theo.

“Well see you soon, Marius”, Theo called out before they left the room.

“Uh-uhm..I don’t think it is a good idea, I’m a werewolf and they are vam--“, Neville did not get to finish his sentence as Marius pinned him with his grey eyes.

“So are you just going to give up your happiness because of some war, your dumb ancestors began?”, Neville’s eyes widened at this and he could not find any reason to tell Marius that it is wrong, his mouth was merely agape.

“If Fate tied your red strings together, then I guess no one in this world would be powerful enough to go against that don’t you think? After all we can never go against her.”, hearing those words made Neville smile and felt hope rising in his heart, he felt it, there really is something about Marius that makes him--uniquely him. When he saw Marius smiled at him, he felt as if he saw the moon, the strongest light in the darkness of the night. And in his heart he hoped, that someday, somehow the world will change and the races will find peace in each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not really sure how much time those potions takes to brew and that the only reason i can find for Amortentia, sorry if i lacked some info on those i tried reading about them but i only get to read bits about it  
> comments and kudos are well appreciated, also questions are entertained as well thanks again XD


	4. Impending Disasters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos XD  
> this is unedited and english is not my first language so if there are any wrong grammars or spellings sorry about that

The day finally ended and Marius sighed and stretched as he finished Herbology, as quickly as he can. The sun has already set, Professor Sprout has showed him the way to his temporary room before he leaves tomorrow morning and he finally decided to roam around the grounds for a while. He did not dare approach the Great Hall for dinner is currently ongoing and did not wish to be ogled at like some wild animal or food for some.

Besides Professor Sprout told him that he could just call on a house elf for food, if ever necessary. So he went up the stairs and he marveled at how huge the whole place is, good thing he has a good sense of direction.

He was about to go down the stairs from the Seventh Floor when he suddenly bumped into a hard wall. He felt his body fall so he prepared himself to crash to the cold stone floor when he felt something strong wrap around his slender waist. He gasped at the sudden contact and grasped whatever it was that was holding him. When he finally gained equilibrium he was met with the most enchanting emerald eyes, that would bring any gem into shame due to its beauty.

"Uhm..are you okay?", he snapped his eyes away immediately from the emerald eyes and slowly eased himself away from the werewolf who was holding him, protectively—odd. He then looked up with a blank face then replied in a neutral tone.

"Yes thank you. And I apologize for bumping to you", those green eyes widened and he stuttered a reply.

"N-no, no I am at fault too. I was in a hurry you see", and Marius nodded and when he gazed up on those eyes once again he thought that he did not get the color right and so he was lost in thought thinking about where he saw the same green.

"I should go", his voice snapped Marius from his daze and then as if on realization he suddenly blurted out as Harry was about to leave.

"Ah, Avada Kedavra", this made Harry look back at him when he was about to leave, trying to confirm what he heard he took a step closer.

"Excuse me?", he said confusion laced in his voice then Marius answered him.

"Your eyes, it has the same color with the spell Avada Kedavra", and Harry was rooted on his spot, he had heard a lot of different compliments about his eyes, about them same as his mother's, that they look like emeralds and that they were beautiful. But never this, then he stared at those cold grey eyes watching him blankly.

"Wait, how do you know the color of the Killing Curse?", Harry wanted to know the curiousity that sparked since Potions would not leave him be. There was something about this Clarke that easily snatches his attention away.

"Well aren't you sheltered", Marius stated before beginning to walk away, and Harry did not know what to do whether to be insulted or feel confused. Good thing he heard the booming voice of Hermione calling upon him to shake those thoughts away.

"Who were you talking to Harry?", said Hermione placing her hand on his shoulder.

"The human Clarke", he muttered and he saw a glint in Hermione's eyes and she then gripped his shoulder.

"Where is he? Oooh I wanna talk to him..", then she began to babble but then the human's soft voice rang to his head.

"Hermione?", this made her stop from her sudden talkativeness and kept quiet to listen to Harry.

"Yes?"

"What is the color of the Killing Curse?", her eyes widened for a fraction then it returned back to normal, as she sighed.

"Why do you want to know?"

"The Human Clarke said my eyes have the same color"

"Well it's green, though I haven't seen it casted before my eyes but, that's what they all say", Harry looked back at the spot where Clarke stood moments ago.

"Oh Harry don't let what the human said get to you", and he nodded but stil could not take his eyes off the spot and then he closed his eyes, he inhaled hard enough. His eyes suddenly snapped open when he realize that there was no lingering scent at all. Which is not possible all creatures have their own unique scent no matter how faint it might be if one stays at one place. Unless..

_'Is he hiding his scent?'_

A tug at his arm made him snap from his thoughts and looked down at Hermione.

"Come on Harry, everyone’s already assembled", he let Hermione tug on his arm but his mind still travelled back to the strange human named Clarke. As soon as they entered the Room of Requirement, almost all of Gryffindor was present along with some Ravenclaws and no Slytherins, they all snapped their head at his and Hermione's arrival. Being the Alpha's son he has gained every single one of their trust and has proven himself worthy of becoming their next Alpha. He walked to ward the podium and glanced at all of them.

"I have all called you here due to your Alpha's orders. Soon Beta Remus will be arriving and he will relay upon us the news that my father deemed cannot be explained through a letter", all of them looked at each other in wonder and a fifth year raised his hand and tried to ask a question.

"Uhm…was our pack lands attacked?", his voice was meek full of nervousness and then they all turned their heads toward him looking for reassurance.

"From my father's letter he said they are safe but I think we should ask Remus more about this when he arrive", and as he finished his sentence the flames roared to life and Remus went out of the Floo gate and brushed a bit of soot away from his clothes. Looking up all pack members were staring at him, he smiled at them then he went to the podium gave Harry a nod and Harry allowed him to take his place.

"Thank you all for being here", then he cleared his throat as he began.

"Do you all know the reason for the end of the First Mystic War?", some shook their heads some did not.

"Then does anyone know here who Narcissa Black is?", Hermione easily raised her hand and Remus had a small smile on his lips as he pointed at her to talk. Some already sat down on the chairs knowing that Granger's explanation could take a whole day if she wanted to.

"Narcissa Black, born from the First Witch’s bloodline and hailed as the most powerful witch ever to be born. Her sister Lady Andromeda Tonks nee Black is currently the High witch while Bellatrix Black sided with the Vampires and began the war. She remained neutral never siding with any faction. She was feared, but as soon as the war ended she disappeared, never to be found."

"But what is her relevance, Remus?", Hermione added as she finished reciting.

“She, along with Andromeda, Dumbledore and your Alpha and Luna, is responsible for the fall of the being they called the Dark Lord”, a lot of them were silenced at this, and some were looking at Remus as if he was lying but he continued on.

“Narcissa never liked attention nor war nor power, but amongst her sisters she was the one that was graced with it. Yes, she remained neutral but when the Vampire factions almost obliterated us all, but Fate made her move. She casted a Blood Ward, the one that protects our pack lands, and ever since then Vampires cannot enter it. It became a safe haven for all werewolves during the war, and with the alliance they brought down the Dark Lord. And well we all know what happened, the Dark Lord’s followers disappeared, some were caught and casted to Azkaban and some of them died.”

“Where is she now?”, Harry tentatively asked, hoping that his instincts were wrong he waited for Remus to answer.

"Narcissa Black is dead", murmurs and noises began as some panicked at this revelation, Remus stomped his feet to make their attention fall upon him again.

"Sirius has seen the change in the family tree", Hermione raised his hand to ask a question.

"Won't the Blood Wards fall?", Remus shook his head.

"Its because of Sirius' connection to her that allowed the Ward to stay intact, but not for long and now this is the reason why I am here", his voice sharpened and the others listened intently.

"Last night as well Bellatrix tried to break it but failed, though the ward sustained a huge crack"

“Bellatrix?”, Hermione’s eyes widened, long-distance spells are dangerous and it could cause damage to the witch’s body. She was one of the other allies of the Dark Lord that suddenly disappeared, some Aurors have been hunting her for years but still she was good at hiding.

 _‘Is it possible she grew stronger?’_ , She knew how dangerous the woman is after their lessons in DADA and History of Magic, she was one of the witches who created some of the most gruesome curses and rituals that Professor Minerva deemed Unforgivable.

Harry was not phased by this along with some of the others, they were trained all their life for this moment. He remembered how his mother would always warn him of the troubles ahead and that the war is far from over.

“What would you want us to do?”, he stood firm, unwavering and with determination in his green eyes that it sparkled in the light of the fire.

“War will soon befall upon us, nobody knows when it will come for us but, if we loose the Blood Wards—no her protection, we can consider the world already near its destruction. And so I call upon you all to find our last hope—the child she left behind, Draco Abraxas Black”

“A male?”, Harry voiced out and Remus nodded at him.

“Our only hope to sustain the Blood Ward is a bloody human!?”, Ron exclaimed and he looked right about to pull on his hair out of frustration and Remus nodded.

“Ugh! Had it been a female she would’ve at least had the power to help us”, Ron scowled and some nodded at his comment.

“Even as a human having him in our side would help us keep the Ward intact and stronger”, Remus reasoned out and Harry’s eyebrows perked up at this.

“You plan to only use him to strengthen the Blood Wards?”, Remus sighed as if in resignation, but there was nothing they could do. They were desperate and the boy could be the only thing saving them from the annihilation of their race so he hardened his features. 

“Yes, there is no other way, and besides he will also be protected inside the wards. We all have a part to play in this war, and as sad am I to admit it, that is his role”

“And not just that”, a voice boomed and a sudden crack of Apparition was heard only for them to all see the High Witch Andromeda to appear along with Dumbledore, who looked as if in disapproval shaking his head. The witches seeing her bowed in respect and she raised her hand for them to stop.

“With him in our side I can use him to tap into Narcissa’s powers and use it to our advantage, and with it I can aid Young Potter in his fate”, Harry looked away, his thoughts were flying into a spiral, another person like him bound to his fate, he felt sympathetic.

“And so your mission higher years is to immediately return to our lands during Christmas Break to prepare in the search for Young Draco”, Remus’ voice boomed and the wolves nodded knowing their mission.

“Uhm..Beta?”, Neville squeaked out raising his hand.

“Yes Neville”

“How old is he, I mean…Draco?”

“Young Draco is a year younger than you”, then an Irish accent pulled Remus from Longbottom’s gaze.

“What does he look like anyway, Beta?”

“No one knows what Young Draco looks like”

“So we are going to track a Phantom?”, Ron said sarcasticly, Remus understood this as they all knew the search would be pointless if they do not know what they are searching for.

“I know that this might seem like a Phantom chase, but Narcissa’s protection on him puts us in an advantage as Bellatrix won’t be able to find him with magic. We will search for him our way.”, this made the others grin and chuckle.

“But we don’t have his scent, Remus”, Harry asked as he snapped from his thoughts and listened to Remus.

“Really? The Blood Ward has always been all around us all this time and you practically grew up on his Mother’s scent, his scent will be almost identical to—“

“He smells identical to our lands”, Harry realized this and Remus nodded.

“There is your answer”, then Harry closed his eyes and tried to remember the scent he grew up in, Narcissa’s scent, it smells of pine, morning dew, and a tinge of mint and he always feel comforted in their lands.

_‘We have been under her protection and yet Mom nor Dad never even mentioned about her?’_

_‘Did something happen to make her drift away from our pack?’_

He was suddenly called away from his thoughts when Andromeda spoke clearly and he noticed that the only people present are him, Remus, Lady Andromeda, the Headmaster, Hermione and Ron.

“Harry, you have to be more prepared than ever, as the prophecy states, you are the only one capable of defeating the Dark Lord. He may not have had any means to attack you before but I am sure their forces will try their best to attack you now.”, she said placing her hand on his shoulder, she smiled weakly at him, but Harry looked down and sighed.

“Then won’t the pack lands be more in danger if I stayed there for Christmas break?”

“Indeed, maybe we can arrange for you to stay in Ravenclaw land? I have heard your mate is a witch you might find her there?”, she beamed at him then Harry thought hard then replied.

“No I don’t think it is a good idea for me to find my mate, war is coming and all. I would want her to be safe.”, Andromeda raised her brows at this then she smiled.

“I see”, she then turned to Hermione.

“Hermione, dear have you found out who bears your mark?”

“Not yet, Ma’am, I am still searching but I can feel him here in the castle.”

“Hush! None of that, call me Andromeda and do write to me of who he is will you dear?”, Hermione beamed at her.

“Yes Andromeda”

“And this is going to be the next Beta in line after you Remus”, she looked at Ron and before she could say something.

“If you are also going to ask about my mate Ma’am, she is a Vampire and has a boyfriend”, Andromeda’s eyes widened.

“Oh my, that is horrible”, she gasped and Hermione and Harry looked at each other then turned to Ron who began to rant and they both almost chuckled but held it in.

“Well yeah, it is since I have endured seeing her with his boyfriend—“

“No my dear, it is horrid that she is a Vampire”

“What?”, Ron was shocked and he could not talk, his blood was boiling due to the insult directed at his mate and Harry noticed this along with Remus so he held his arm. Ron’s blue eyes snapped to him and he shook his head at Ron.

“I apologize Remus, Headmaster and Lady Andromeda but we have to go”, he then dragged Ron out of the Room of Requirement and as soon as they were out Ron exploded.

“How could she? Hermione, does your High Witch have to be such a bitch! She has no right to insult my mate that way. Its not her fault she is born a Vampire. Bloody Hell!”, Hermione looked apologetic.

“I’m sorry Ron, I did not know that was going to be her reaction to it”

“Yeah mate, don’t worry about it besides we’re with you even if you decided that your mate is a flobberworm we will still be your friends”, Harry said forcing a smile and Ron looked okay now and he punched Harry’s arm lightly.

“Shut up, let’s just get back to the tower. I wanna go to bed”, Hermione and Harry shared a look then they dragged Ron to the Gryffindor Tower their footsteps heard in the dead of the night.

……..

“So you intend to use him, until the day you deem him worthless, then throw him away like useless candy wrapper?”, The three began to start talking as soon as the trio walked out.

“He is still my Nephew, Albus, but for the sake of our races I will have no choice but to fulfill my duty to my people”, Dumbledore looked tired and released a sigh he did not dare look up at Remus to know his answer.

“Doing that will push him to go to Bellatrix’s side, do you know that Andromeda?”, her black eyes snapped to face Dumbledore.

“Then I will do whatever it is in my power to never let him go”

“He is but a child Andromeda.”, Dumbledore pressed and Andromeda snarled.

“Please you two this is not a time for us to argue”, Remus reasoned out.

“We will all talk about what we will do with Draco to our next meeting in Gryffindor lands”, Remus said as he clutched some floo powder and disappeared.

“Why were you asking about their mate Andromeda?”

“Do you really think I am such a horrible person to ask about their own happiness?”

“You speak those words and yet you did not show support about Mr. Weasley’s mate”, Andromeda scowled.

“You really think Albus that after all of the things they did, that their children would be born with Angel’s wings and proclaim that suddenly they did not want us to be killed?”, she looked sharply at Dumbledore before she Apparated away her eyes deadly.

As soon as she disappeared Dumbledore release a huge sigh and looked at the spot where Andromeda stood.

“You should not let your hatred consume you Andromeda”, then he thought back when he met Marius Clarke.

 _‘Yes he called himself that, yet underneath it all was the child that they all have been searching for, Draco Abraxas Black’_ , as soon as he entered his office he knew, he saw through the veil of goblin magic, due to his connection with Fawkes. He wanted to ask the child why he was hiding but now he thought that this was for the best.

He was prepared to tell them all that their search is over before it even began but if they intend to merely use that child then he is better lost than found. If they desire that child’s help and protection by his blood they have to earn it by knowing him, by accepting him not by his use but by who he really is and respect his decision and not make it for him.

Then he thought back on the day he met Sybill Trelawney, the one who prophesized of Harry’s fate and the Dark Lord’s doom. But she also spoke of another, whose fate was closely tied to Harry Potter’s, who will heal the broken bonds between the Vampires and the Werewolves and bring unity to the Witches.

 _‘I wonder, was he also the one prophesized?’,_ he then shook his head for thinking the impossible, no male has ever been born with magic despite being born from a witch. Only females are born with magic, he then shook his head from his musings as he slowly went out of the door. He was closing it when a voice startled him and he looked back only to see Young Marius right behind him.

“Mr. Clarke, and here I thought you are now in your room eating dinner”, he smiled down at the boy who then tilted his head to stare at the huge oak doors that lead to the Room of Requirement.

“Headmaster is this the Room of Requirement?”, his eyes widened slightly and a grin was beginning to form in his lips.

“Yes, I see that you have read the book Hogwarts: A History”

“Headmaster this room was not even present in that book my—“, Albus noticed the sudden paused and he watched as Marius easily schooled his features to that of indifference.

“My Gammy told me about this room and—well I wanted to find it”, a spark was seen in his eyes and the Headmaster could not deny him the comfort of feeling to be closer to his Mother by going to places she used to stay in the past.

“Well Young Marius, use this room well”, he said as he nodded and left the boy standing in front of the Room. Albus almost forgot that he only lost his Mother last night and that he is still mourning, then he took a last glance at the boy whose eyes were now covered by his fringe before he entered the room and the door disappeared.

…..

Marius opened the door to the Room of Requirement and when he entered his breath was almost caught from his throat. He was there again, inside their dainty old cottage—in the living room, his hand was shaking as he approached the couch where his Mother loved to sit. Where she could oversee the garden just outside the window, where he used to play with Beau when he was still a wee little thing.

“Mom”, he caressed the couch and he stood in front of it, as if he could see her sitting there and looking up at him and asking him such questions, he could now hear her voice in his head.

 _‘What is wrong Draco?’_ , she asked him once when he was feeling down and his mother placed a hand at his cheek, ever so lovingly.

 _‘Oh you cheeky little brat, don’t go sneaking up behind my back like that’_ , the way she tried to apprehend him in his mischievous ways, in trying to sneak up on her or brewing potions he was not supposed to.

 _‘How many times do I have to tell you not to play in the rain?!’_ , and when she got mad at him for playing too much in the rain that he was soaked and got sick the next day that he could not even go anywhere without her helping him up.

 _‘Goodnight, my sweet Dragon’_ , he did not even notice the tears streaming down his face when he finally awoke from his musings. He covered his mouth to muffle the sounds coming out and he clutched the arm of the couch so much his knuckles turned white.

“Mom I-I…why did you leave me?”, after long hours of holding it all in everything came crashing down to him. He was now kneeling on the carpet and his arms holding onto the couch for support. He knew even if he asked any questions nor say anything he would not be answered, so he cried his heart out.

_‘I love you my Draco, always remember that’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are appreciated along with questions, i will try my best to answer them..so you guys can just tell me what ya think thanks once gain for the kudos and comments i love them XD  
> hopefully i will be able to update again by tom since i have no classes Xd


	5. Bizarre Occurences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the kudos and comments XD  
> unedited

Eyelids fluttering open, and hazy grey eyes appeared, Marius woke form his slumber, his body ached from the way he slept. His head leaned on the couch and his feet were all tangled up, so he allowed himself to lie down on the floor. He remembered seeing the Headmaster, his last interaction with Professor Sprout and—Avada Kedavra eyes. He hissed in pain when he felt his back has something to say to him, and he tried to stand up properly.

He fixed himself up in front of a mirror as the room so kindly provided him with one. He grimaced when he found out that he hasn’t had a shower last night and then he looked back at the grandfather clock where it has always stood in the living room.

“Shit”, he cursed as he saw the time and he was already late for his meeting with the Headmaster, he looked back one last time to the room and although he had already memorized every nook and cranny he still looked at it as if it’s the last time he would see it, and with a lighter feeling in his chest he exited.

Heaving a sigh as he closed the huge oak doors of the Room of Requirement, then after calming himself again he began to run towards the Headmasters office. As soon as he reached the huge eagle-like statue, he thought hard on what candy was the password.

“Lemon Drops?”, he was unsure as the adrenaline has not settled down, but his guess did not fail him as the eagle moved and he went up the stairs. He knocked on the doors and he heard the cheery voice of the Headmaster.

“Ah there you are Mr. Clarke”

“I apologize Headmaster, I slept in”, Albus eyes twinkled in amusement.

“It’s fine Mr. Clarke I had Minerva adjust the time for your Portkey to leave in..”, then he picked out his pocket watch and looked into the time. 

“…20 minutes”

“Sir, my things—“, then Albus gestured to his side and he saw his baggage right there.

“Mr. Clarke I am very impressed with how you were able to finish all of your exams yesterday, where did you gain such an extensive amount of knowledge from?”, the Headmaster sat down and gestured for Marius to do the same.

“Oh, well Headmaster, my Gammy was adamant that I enter this school, but since she was already sick when I was 11 and I decided to stay to take care of her. I read any book that I could ever come across to and Gammy’s knowledge is very extensive.”, the fondness seeping out of him when talking about the late Mrs. Clarke was probably being shown in his features as he saw the Headmaster smile at him. He almost feel guilty for fooling the Headmaster but he trust his Mother’s words too much.

“Yes I remember Mrs. Clarke very well, when she was still a student here her thirst for knowledge was insatiable, that I think she has read all of the books the Hogwarts library could provide her with”, Marius smiled at this.

“Ah and I have heard from Severus that you were able to perfect all of your brews yesterday, he also wishes you to enter his Sixth year class and not the Fifth”, Albus said as he opened one of his candy from the table and gestured for Marius to pick one but he shook his head. Then the words sunk in to Marius’ brain then he stared at the Headmaster.

“Am I accepted Headmaster?”, his eyes were wide and Albus smiled at this and he nodded.

Marius’ eyes sparkled he could not stop his lips from quirking into a smile, so he let it and he beamed at the Headmaster who is smiling in return.

“I congratulate you, Mr. Clarke”, he stood up and offered his hand for Marius to shake and Marius did so, but then he remembered something.

“Uhm Headmaster, will I be staying alone at Hufflepuff?”, he tilted his head.

“Well I was thinking of letting you stay at one of the private rooms but if you wish to stay in Hufflepuff, then it is your right as you are after all the first human in a few years to stay there.”, Marius grinned at this.

“Well then Headmaster if I would be alone in Hufflepuff could I bring someone along? A pet perhaps?”, he thought back at Beau who is probably sulking at his absence and probably giving Izzy a lot of troubles.

“Well you are free to bring it here, though may I ask is it an owl?”

“No Headmaster, a dog”, the Headmaster’s eyebrows rose at this then he smiled.

“As long as he stays in your Common Room”

“Yes Headmaster”, he then picked up his baggage and picked up the portkey that will bring him to Diagon Alley.

“Thank you for all this Headmaster”, he gave a thankful nod and the Headmaster smiled at him in return.

“The letter for all your requirements is in your bag, I will see you in two days perhaps?”

“Yes Headmaster”, then the portkey activated and he disappeared.

…….

It has been two days since Neville met with Marius and he was contemplating on what happened. An owl hooted loudly at the Great Hall, which caused some of the others to look where it will land. The Gryffindors looked at Neville when it landed right in front of him, putting down his utensils on his plate he gently removed the letter from the owl’s leg, then the owl suddenly flew away when he was about to take the other letter as well.

The owl then again landed right to the Slytherin's table right infront of Blaise and Theo. They looked at each other before shrugging and taking the letter. They opened it and read the single sentence written on it. Theo and Blaise grinned widely at this then Blaise folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. He then stood up picking up his bag Pansy Parkinson looked at both of them her eyebrows quirked up.

"Where are you two going?", Blaise smirked at her while Theo merely looked bored slinging his bag on his shoulder.

"Well Pansy, you really that curious on what we boys do?", and Theo face-slapped himself with Blaise's comment. Pansy's eyes glimmered and she grinned devilishly and Blaise realized his mistake.

"Why Blaise is that an invitation to watch?", she said smugly as she crossed her arms.

"What NO! Just shut up Pansy", his face was red as he stomped out of the Great Hall, Theo followed him shaking his head. Then he turned his head to look at Neville who is fixing his bag to leave as well, so he followed Blaise outside the Great Hall.

"Come on Theo, let's go", Blaise insisted and Theo stopped in his tracks.

"Shouldn't we wait for Longbottom?"

"Urgh...fine", Blaise grunted then he began muttering words that even with Theo's hearing can't comprehend.

“What is wrong Blaise?”, Theo asked in a sing-song voice.

“You do know that once he is back we can’t act good when dealing with Marius and especially Longbottom right?”, Theo sighed and nodded his head, of course he knows that so he was prepared to tell the human they won’t be seeing each other when he returns to Hogwarts.

“Of course I know that Blaise”

“It’s just that…nevermind”, then he looked away from Blaise’s scrutiny and Blaise looked like a bulb just lighted up his head.

“AH!”, he suddenly bursted out which startled Theo so much he flinched, then Blaise grinned at him and placed his arm at his shoulder.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Theo, Theo, Theo. You could just tell me clearly that you liked Marius”

“Wait what are you talking about Blaise?”, Theo’s eyebrow was raised and Blaise’s eyes widened.

“You don’t like him?”

“Ugh I don’t get why you would think that I like him that way”, Theo could almost pull his hair out of frustration sometimes when dealing with Blaise and his wrong assumptions.

“Oh, what is it then?”, Blaise said letting his arm fall from Theo’s shoulder and crossed his arms.

“He loo—“, Theo abruptly stopped his words when he heard a sudden squeak and he and Blaise both turned around to see Longbottom staring at them widely.

“Uh I-I’ ll j-just g-go”, Neville stuttered a reply, he did not think that any one would be outside of the Great Hall when everyone is currently having dinner, so he was pretty astounded when he saw Zabini and Nott. 

“Come on, Longbottom, it’s better if you stick with us when heading to the Potion’s classroom at night”, Blaise gestured for him to follow him and Theo on their trek to the Potion’s classroom.

“I—uhm…but..”

“Ugh come along, we’re wasting time here”, Blaise tugged on the arm of Neville without realizing how Neville suppressed his shiver from showing. Theo noticed how Neville looked like he was having an internal battle, he pitied him and so he sighed and placed his hand on Blaise’s shoulder.

“Blaise, you’re scaring him”, Blaise finally noticed this and he suddenly let go of Neville.

“Sorry”

“I-Its okay”, then Blaise finally paid attention to the shorter male and he heard it.

“Geez Longbottom, no need to be that nervous I’m not going to eat you”, he said as he walked ahead of them, leaving a Neville who is looking at him with longing eyes and Theo watching this all happen right in front of him. He could not help but pity Longbottom for being the oblivious Blaise’s mate, so he tried to comfort him in some way, he placed his hand on Neville’s shoulder the latter staring at him with confused and scared eyes.

“Forgive him, he is just very hard to handle sometimes and is very oblivious”, he offered the wolf a comforting smile and followed after Blaise, leaving a gaping Neville.

“How did—“, he then shook his head and followed after them, he did not fall into step with them he settled to just following them behind.

_‘This is enough for now’_

_……_

Sitting alone on the corridor of the dungeons just outside of the Potions classroom was Marius. His white-blonde hair was seen easily in the dark corridors of the night only lighted by the torches. He was already reading through their book in potions the only subject he has with the Sixth years, when he heard footsteps getting near his location. Thinking that it was already Neville and the others he dusted his clothes and picked up his book.

“Well at least you vampires and werewolves are fast, I’m getting cold here”, he abruptly stopped when he saw a pair of rich blue eyes, but they were cold—dangerous, and yet he could not keep his eyes off him.

“What is a mere livestock doing in Hogwarts?”, his voice was cold, sharp and scathing, but still there was a hint of exhaustion in his tone. When Marius saw the other’s appearance he lifted one of his eyebrows when he saw the uncanny similarity. He saw his picture at the Black Family tree from Gringotts, he did not expect to meet a part of his family this quick and he was not prepared to meet, Bellatrix Black’s son. He was pulled away from his thoughts when he felt hands encircling his neck, he held onto the hand as he was raised in the air.

“Answer me livestock!”, his voice boomed in the empty corridors and Marius croaked out.

“At least let me down”, then the other boy let go of him and he fell down crouching as he held his throat.

“Now answer me, human”, when Marius determined that he is fine he stood up and faced those cold blue eyes.

“Marius Clarke, I just transferred here, a Fifth year but I will be taking up Potions with Sixth years like you”, he said so casually that earned him a chuckle from a the other boy and when he stopped, he grinned at him and Marius saw a spark in his eyes that he could not understand but was soon removed as the other blinked.

“Leave now, Clarke—“ , he said then in a swift movement he was whispering at Marius’ ears.

“—before I change my mind and rip you to shreds.”, then he leaned back and stared at those grey eyes that seem to be showing nothing.

“Besides this is near the Vampire’s lair, wouldn’t want the Human loving blood traitor of a Headmaster to be saddened by your loss would we?”, as he hissed and bared his fangs, but the human Clarke merely looked at him with eyes that pierced him, Marius looked at him like he was seeing the real him underneath.

“Orion?”, they both snapped their heads to the intruder and Orion smirked when he saw Blaise, Theo and a surprisingly new addition—Longbottom.

He bared his fangs at Longbottom’s direction, the latter flinched and took a step back— _smart move_ —he thought and Theo and Blaise looked alarmed. Orion was prepared to attack Longbottom, Blaise and Theo looked prepared to defend him. He was about to pounce when he heard the voice of he human once again.

“Orion”, Orion’s eyes snapped dangerously to the human and Marius merely gave him a sheepish smile—he felt confused, everyone in Hogwarts know he was not to be messed with—he was feared and that was his best protection for himself.

“Thank you for accompanying me, though brief, I enjoyed your company”, Marius then walked towards Blaise an the others who were gaping at him in shock, he then rolled his eyes.

“Come on Neville we have a lot to do, you guys will follow, yeah?”, he tugged on Neville’s arm without waiting for their reply and when they were out of earshot, Orion approached Theo and Blaise.

“Blaise, Theo keep your human on a leash, I don’t ever want him near here during nights, I will not be kind to allow him to live a second time”, without hearing a reply from the two as well he left leaving for their common room.

“D-did that just really happen?”, and Theo looked at the direction where Orion went and he nodded at Blaise.

“I have never seen him back down, never. He always fought with Gryffs, but one word from Mari and he stopped”, he then stared at Theo who was as puzzled as him.

“What the bloody hell?”

“Come on let’s go”, Theo shrugged and began to follow after Marius and Neville at the other direction and Blaise grunted at the lack of response from Theo and just decided to follow him to ask Marius about what happened.

“You too are so slow, and here I thought Vampires are fast like the wind or something?”, Theo raised his hands and gave a bored answer.

“Blaise might not be about to catch up with me if I did”

“Hey, excuse me bookworm I’m faster than you”, he crossed his arms and sulked petulantly.

“Uhm..Marius why are we here at the Seventh Floor?”, asked Neville and he felt Blaise’s eyes on him and he made himself look even smaller and Blaise noticed this and huffed.

“You’ll see”, and Marius thought of the Potions classroom along with its cauldrons and the ingredients cabinet, the door appeared in front of him and he grinned. Neville’s eyes widened, no one but part pf the pack knew of this room— _should I tell Harry that Marius, Theo and Blaise now know about the existence of this room?_ —he then shook his head when Marius beckoned them all to enter.

He along with Blaise and Theo was astounded by the look of the room, every nook and cranny was the exact same as their Potion’s classroom.

“Uh Mari did you just memorized the whole room and replicate it?”, and Marius nodded.

“Well it is for Neville to be able to relax inside the classroom and not be scared of Snape”, he grinned then Theo asked him.

“What room is this anyway Marius? I have never seen this room in my whole Hogwarts years”

“Really? Well this is the Room of Requirement, everything you require this room to be, will be” he grinned wickedly and then he took over the supposed desk of Snape and sat on it, opening their Potions book in a random page.

“Now shall we begin?”, and when Theo and Blaise sat together, Marius made a tutting noise.

“No pairing it will be unfair to Nev, you will brew this potion by yourselves”, he smirked when Blaise grunted.

“Come on Blaise the faster we finish brewing, the faster you can ask Neville all kinds of questions”, he said blankly as he looked at the Potion and Blaise spluttered a reply while Theo covered his amusement with a cough.

“Wha-what!?”, then grey eyes stared at him as if he said something wrong.

“What? He is going to be your tutor in Herbology right?”

“Oh, right”, and all throughout the conversation Neville’s cheeks were red and he wanted the ground to just swallow him up, then he caught the eyes of Marius and he winked at him.

“All right then this Potion…”, then Marius began explaining the Potion that they were going to brew and the easiest way to cut the ingredients and some pointers for them to remember.

…..

“That was the most productive I had done in potions all my life”, Blaise said as he slumped to one of the seats.

“Snape is not a horrible teacher but he sometimes leave us to our own devices too much”, Theo said to no one as he too rested on one of the seats.

“As they say it’s easier for one to learn when they have commited mistakes, and from it they can learn”, Marius added as he closed the Potions book and stared at them, Neville stayed silent.

“Ha! And look where Longbottom got to huh?”, Blaise said as he snorted and Marius pinned him with his gaze.

“Well Blaise you still want to pass Herbology don’t you?”, and Blaise shuddered at this and the look Marius gave him made him sigh.

“I’m sorry Longbottom”, Neville was taken a back by this and he just looked down especially when Blaise turned to him with a charming smile.

“Though you will still tutor me right?”, he said with such an angelic smile and when Neville saw this he almost melted into a puddle, his heart was pounding too much that he was afraid Blaise might realize something.

“Blaise, be good”, Theo said as he hit the back of Blaise’s head then nodded slightly at Longbottom.

“Y-yeah I will”

“See Longbottom is kinder to me than you ever will Theo, and you call yourself my friend”, Theo rolled his eyes at him, then Marius grinned at this.

“Now since we are going to spend a lot of time with each other why don’t you call Neville by his first name, Blaise”, Blaise shrugged then turned to Neville’s direction, Neville wanted to run, he was now inwardly cursing Marius and blaming himself for allowing himself to be manipulated by someone who is a year younger than him. But his wolf was happy, so happy that he could feel it about to be released and wanting to just run to his mate’s arms, but he did his best to keep it in check.

“Neville”, that one word made Neville look directly straight at Blaise’s eyes and it was the first time their eyes met. Neville looked at him like he was the world and Blaise felt something when those beautiful chocolate brown eyes met with his lighter brown eyes. He felt something shift he did not know what it was and he wanted to be sure, so he stood up.

“Now, now Neville. Its your turn, say my name”, he said slowly approaching Neville and smiling like the  predator he is, to hell with the Theo’s opinion, if Neville really is who he thinks he is, he won’t let go. It is rare for Vampires to find their mates this early in their lives, due to their long life they tend to search for them all throughout their time.

Neville looked down once more and Blaise did not stop approaching him, Marius and Theo was watching this development with keen interest. Theo was a bit surprised he knew this would happen eventually but he did not expect it to happen this soon. He then looked at Marius who was currently watching the scene unfold his eyes guarded, but his smile betrayed his face as he seemed pleased.

Theo shook his head, he did not know when he grew fond of the human and when his heart turned soft to try and defend Longbottom from their Slytherin Prince Orion. And he did not know whether Blaise felt it or not, but there was something about Marius that overwhelms him and he knew—he just knew, though slight his blood sings to him in a way he could not comprehend.

When Blaise now stood in front of Neville, and Neville was fidgeting where he stood— _so close, so close_ —and he could smell the rich scent of Blaise, chocolate, spice, and something else that makes him Blaise— _please don’t touch me_ —Neville was chanting this in his head as he felt his grip on his wolf fading.

He made a huge mistake when he looked aup and saw those eyes, those light brown eyes that seemed gold when the sun, touches it. And without him knowing he blurted out. With a fond, loving eyes, full of hope and happiness in them.

“Blaise”, his voice was soft full of reverence, love, hope and a tinge of fear, that Blaise’s eyes widened.

Then Neville blinked and as if realizing what had just occurred his cheeks turned rose scarlet and he ran away as fast as he can and Blaise was frozen where he stood. Theo was about to scold him, to tell him to go after Neville but was stopped when Blaise looked at him with an expression Theo could not explain.

“Theo, I think I’m in love”, and Theo wanted to pull his hair out, and Marius laughed loudly.

 


	6. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has been edited by Authlene and i am really grateful and happy i got to meet her, she is a very awesome person. thank you again *bows*  
> thanks for your comments and kudos *bows* XD

_Blood. It was everywhere. On the walls. On the floor. Staining every surface he could see and when he realized it, his hands were covered by said liquid as well. He was breathing heavily now, body trembled with fear. He knew he was there again, in the living room he knew so well. He blinked and that was when he heard it. A voice forming words as if casting a spell._

_“Abscondeo,” the voice, clearly feminine enough to be considered a girl’s, whispered. It was barely audible that he almost didn’t catch it. Then, his eyes began to feel heavy. Involuntarily so. He was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. But before he fully passed out, he heard the same voice from before said, “Forget for now….”_

A pair of grey eyes suddenly snapped open, accompanied by ragged breathing as a hand clutched tightly the fabric of clothing around the chest; Marius woke up with a start. His lovely dog, Beau, easily noticing his master’s distress, crawled up the bed and sat next to him. The dog nudged him softly with his nose as if asking him what’s wrong, but he ignored it. Instead, he clutched his knees to his chest, remembering the nightmare he had been having ever since that night—the night he lost his mother. Beau nudged him again. This time, he sighed then give the dog a smile. He snuggled Beau’s thick fur, bathing in the softness of it.

“I’m sorry for waking you up Beau.”

His dog whimpered softly and he smiled sadly.

“Yes I know, boy. I miss her too.”

After thinking for a while and looking at the clock, seeing that it was only half-past ten, he thought of going out on a walk. He decided not to bring Beau along with him as he might get caught by Filch if he did.

“Beau, stay here, okay?”

The dog looked like he wanted to join him, but Marius shook his head and patted his head.

“No, Beau. We might get caught by Filch and I don’t want you chasing his cat.” He chuckled softly as he imagined Beau chasing the cat and Filch running after them to stop Beau.

He then changed his pajamas into black pants and a white shirt. On top of it, he wore his school robes as it was a bit resistant to the cold. He decided to go to the Astronomy Tower since high places always made him calm and so he began his trek, careful not to be caught by the school’s keeper. Especially his cat.

The halls were quiet. Only the snores of the paintings accompanied him. Marius did not bother himself with any light or lamp as the moonlight from the sky above and the blaze of torches were enough. By the time he reached the top, he was almost too tired that he began regretting his choice of coming here.

But as soon as he approached the large window, feeling the cold fresh air whipping his face, he smiled. The stairs were worth it after all. He then began to walk near the ledge of the Tower. When he reached it, he held on to it as he closed his eyes just to feel the air. It calmed him down almost effortlessly and the feeling of euphoria enveloped him. There were no high places near where they lived before. Just small slopes where he and Beau used to lounge on after collecting herbs from the forest.

He then opened his eyes to marvel at the sky. They never looked this close to him than ever that he reached out one hand as if to clutch or hold the stars. He knew it was silly, trying to touch things million lights away, so he chuckled to himself. He saw how brightly the moon shone but also he did not forget about the stars that always light up the dark—always ever present. When he looked closely, he was able to see the constellation he was named after and then he voiced out his own name.

“Draco.”

The name sounded foreign even to his own ears, but a sudden wave of nostalgia hit him as he remembered the way his mother would call him.

“Draco?”

He suddenly heard a voice that he looked back only to see those Avada Kedavra eyes looking at him suspiciously. His eyes widened in panic as he thought to himself how could he didn’t notice someone was already there.

_‘Well, you were so enamored in the view that you forgot everything else_ ,’ his subconscious replied to him as he cursed inwardly.

Marius tried to calm himself down before looking back at those green eyes with indifference to hide his inner turmoil.

“Avada Kedavra,” he said, with a tilt of his head and a touch of bored tone, “didn’t see you there.”

“Don’t call me that.” The other’s voice was sharp as he slowly approached him. He tried to take a step back but sadly there was no way to do that as the ledge was already stopping him to do so. He shrugged at the werewolf and looked back into the sky once more.

“Draco.” His name was said in a soft way once again, as if he was being summoned.

‘C _alm yourself. If he ever heard the beating of your heart, this is over. No more Hogwarts and back to hiding,’_ he thought as he heaved in a breath to cover it all up.

“Avada, the constellation will not come upon your calling,” he drawled it in a perfect imitation of Snape. He heard Avada grunted and he looked back at those piercing green eyes.

“No. I meant, where did you know of that name?”

Marius rose his eyebrow in question. “When I said that name I meant the constellation.” He waved into the sky where the constellation was and this made Avada look above the sky as well.

“Really?” Those inquisitive eyes were back on his grey eyes once more. How stubborn and troublesome.

“Yes”

“Oh, okay.” Then those Avada Kedavra eyes looked up at the sky once more.

Marius almost shrugged the werewolf off if only he didn’t remember something. “Wait. You have been here this whole time and you did not even made your presence known?”

“You looked like you did not want to be disturbed so…” Avada grinned sheepishly.

Marius narrowed his eyes.

“Creep.”

“Hey! I am not.” He defended. “Besides, I was here before you so you don’t get to complain to me.”

“Fine, Avada. Whatever let you sleep at night.”

Marius ignored the way those eyes looked at him as if trying to unveil his secrets.

“My name is not Avada,” the werewolf said.  

Marius tilted his head back to face him and, in a bored tone, said, “What is it then, O Great Alpha?”

Avada winced before he pinned him with a glare. “I’m not an Alpha yet, but I will be… Wait. How did you know?”

Marius rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the wall. He leaned to it before sliding down to the floor and sat there. Avada’s eyes were watching him carefully as he did so.

“Well, the way the higher years Gryffindor look at you like a leader and the way the younger years follow you like a love sick puppy make it all obvious somehow.” He ended his reply with a grin as he saw the way Avada’s eye widen.

“Hey! They don’t follow me around like a love sick puppy!”

Marius merely rolled his eyes once again. Avada grunted before settling down next to him. Not close to invade personal place but close enough to his side. A beat later, there was a hand held out in front of him.

“Harry. Harry Potter,” the not-yet-Alpha said.

Marius shot him a smirk before taking the offered hand. “Marius Clarke.”

As soon as Avada— _Harry_   touched his hand, Marius almost jerked his hand away. There was something that felt like a spark spreading on his skin. Fireworks? He couldn’t tell so he shook his thoughts away and slowly let go of Harry’s hand.

“So, tell me Marius, when did you meet Draco?”

Marius raised an eyebrow at that and Harry looked away. He knew he was playing a hunch here but the way Marius’ eyes widened even for a second was enough for him to ask.

“Clarke. Call me Clarke. You have not earned the privilege of calling my name so casually like that yet and I already told you it was the constellation,” Marius reasoned out but Harry stared intensely. He knew then the Avada eyes’ owner smelt his lie.

“I know you are hiding something, _Clarke_ , and I understand if Draco asked you to keep it a secret for him but _please_. If you know where he is, tell me.”

Marius grunted at Harry, all the while averting his eyes from the other’s. The gears inside his brain started working ten times more than before as he turned sharply to look at the werewolf once more. Eyes glistening dangerously, threatening. Harry was shocked for a second as he had never seen the human with those eyes before.

“Why do you want to find him, Potter?” Marius spat out Harry’s name and that made the mentioned boy scowl at no one but himself. Marius saw this and he continued. “What’s wrong, Potter? Remind you of someone?”

Harry growled at him and those grey eyes still had not changed a bit so he began to reign his temper. He knew he would not be able to get any answers from the human if he were to snap. Closing his eyes would be a good choice, so he did.

A few moments passed before he heard a low, “Ah… Lestrange.”

Harry’s eyes snapped open at that.

“You are probably thinking how I knew.” Marius then shrugged and explained. “Since you’re Gryffindor’s Alpha and Lestrange is the Elder of Slytherin… rivals are inevitable, right?”

Harry didn’t say anything.

“Now, Potter, answer me. Why are you looking for Draco?”

The way Marius said those words was so cold, so void of emotion, that it sent chills down Harry’s spine.

“I—No. _We_ need his help.”

“For what?”

“It does not concern you.”

“It might not concern me, Potter. But still, Draco is my friend I have every right to know.”

Being a wanted figure like this peaked out his curiosity, Marius reasoned himself as his mind keep asking him why he would vomit a stupid lie like that.

Harry closed his eyes, asking himself whether he could trust Marius. He did not know but this is the closest clue to Draco, so he took a gamble and told him about the war in the past. He did not mention of Bellatrix trying to find Draco to kill him though. That was a bit too much.

“The Dark Lord is now currently sealed, but we all know that soon he will rise again and wreak havoc to the world. Draco—He could help us through his blood, in order to strengthen the Blood Ward that will protect the innocents.”

Marius watched and observed at how kind Potter’s eyes were and how he cared for his people. He almost gave in but his Mother’s warning rang to his ears that he sighed exasperatedly.

“So please, where is he?”

Marius shook his head and replied, “He is in a place where no one could find him, even I.”

“Is there really no way for us to ever find him?” Harry insisted. His whole race is in the line and he cannot just let this go. His eyes were pleading and Marius’ will was wavering but then the human closed his eyes for a while before opening them again as he spoke.

“Fine, I may have a way…” Harry’s eyes sparkled with what Marius detected as hope, “but still I’m not sure it will work.”

“Tell me what I can do,” he said determinedly.

Marius broke into a grin. “Earn my trust.”

Harry turned to him, confused attached on his face.

“Wait, _what_? Why?”

Marius rolled his eyes in frustration. “I don’t trust you. I don’t know you, so how do you expect me to just hand over Draco to you?”

With that, Harry looked as if he understood. “Well, then. I will show you that you can trust me, Clarke.”

“Marius.”

“What?”

“My name. Call me by it.”

At that, Harry beamed at him and Marius felt a bit weirded out by it.

“Call me Harry then,” he offered.

Marius nodded and stood up. It was time he returned back to his common room. He needed to think. “Oh, by the way, don’t mention this to anyone. If you do, I will make sure that you will never find Draco.”

Harry gave him a yes, determination clear in his eyes. Marius grinned at that before he began walking away.

“Good night, Marius.”

Marius stopped for a second. It was quite hard but he managed a “Sweet dreams, Harry” before he willed his body to move.

He did not notice how Harry’s eyes widened, body frozen. The werewolf heart’s skipped a beat and he clutched his clothes just above his heart to calm himself. Harry shook his head furiously, all the while chanting, _‘No, this is different. This is just a feeling of excitement, of hope that we can finally find Draco, save innocents, and finally defeat the Dark Lord,’_ to himself.

…..

A few days had passed and Neville was getting good at avoiding Blaise at every corner. Meanwhile, Blaise in return was careful not to let other people know of whatever was that they’re having. Especially Orion. That vampire return was a big news and with that, the hostility of the Vampires and Werewolves became more prominent.

What astounded them all though was that certain day when Neville was running late due to avoiding Blaise too much. He got caught up in one of the moving stairs and had to wait for it to move in the right direction again for him to finally easily reach his destination. As soon as Neville got inside the classroom, he interrupted Snape’s lecture, causing the Professor to begin lashing his tongue at him.

“Mr. Longbottom, so good of you to grace us with your presence,” Snape had said sarcastically as he sneered at Neville from where he stood.

“I-I’m so—” he was cut off by the professor himself and Neville got a bad feeling about it.

“No matter. I am feeling gracious for today so please take your seat…” Snape said and all eyes were huge as they stared at him. Neville released a breath that he was holding when he thought that crisis was averted, but no such luck though because he heard the drawling voice of Snape once again that was 100% full of glee.“...Ah, the seat next to Mr. Lestrange.”

Neville looked at Snape his with horror written all over. His face pale, almost dying, whereas Lestrange looked indifferent and ignored him. That made the Gryffindors started glaring at Snape and the Slytherins, those assholes, daringly looked amused.

Neville was stunned at where he stood. He could not move. His mouth was like that of a gaping fish and Snape snapped at him once again.

“Go on Longbottom. We don’t have all day.”

When Neville squeaked and finally decided to take small steps towards his doom, a voice was heard.

“Professor,” the voice that belonged to none other than Marius called. He sounded almost sheepish as if he was at fault for something. The human was sitting next to a very confused Theodore Nott who gave him odd looks as if questioning his sanity. Blaise, on the other hand, was watching Neville closely.

“Yes, Clarke.” Snape looked at him blankly, although he was not sneering.

“I apologize for disrupting your class, but you can’t pair up Neville with Orion.”

A few gasps were heard when Marius called Lestrange by his name, as only a few people has the right to do so, namely: Pansy, Theo and Blaise. They all looked at Lestrange for any reaction but he just stared boredly ahead, though with a bit of amused touches here and there.

“And why is that, Mr. Clarke?” Snape’s voice was stern and his eyebrows raised. Even he looked worried that Lestrange might attack him.

“Well, actually I was sitting next to Orion, but came to sit with Theo to ask him to teach me about some Vampire traditions I was hard up in explaining for my essay to Professor McGonagall.” He looked at Snape with that sheepish smile of his once more and the Professor yielded, though reluctantly.

“Fine,” said Snape and all of them looked at the Professor in confusion, wondering why he did not lash out to Marius.

“Thanks, Professor,” he said as he easily slipped from his seat. Before going to his place next to Orion, he stopped a bit to whisper to the still gaping Neville.

“Thank me later. For now, deal with Blaise. After class, I already signaled Theo to not let you slip away,” he ended his sentence with a wink before skipping a step to the seat next to Orion as if he was rightfully seated there.

Neville looked back at the place Marius occupied and then the seat next to Theo that would lead him directly to Blaise. He cursed inwardly for letting Marius once again manipulate the situation he was avoiding almost all week. Now, the thought of sitting next to Lestrange seems the lesser of two evils. He was suddenly interrupted from his epiphany when Snape snapped at him once again.

“Longbottom, go to your seat now.”

Neville released a long sigh he was holding.

_‘So, in the end, Snape would always be the one to lead me to my grave, huh?_ ’ he thought sullenly as he walked to the valley of death.

…..

Albus Dumbledore walked to the Pack House in Gryffindor lands as soon as he was able to floo in. He was ushered inside by an enthusiastic Molly Weasley to the Conference room. As he entered, he saw that most of them were present. Alpha James and Luna Lily sat side by side while Andromeda sat in front of them. Beta Remus was also there standing near the window along with what seemed to be one of the Weasley children and Penelope Clearwater, a dark witch mated to Percy Weasley. Sirius was also there, seated next to Andromeda, nodding his head.

“Albus,” Lily stood. She went over to give the older man a hug. The Alpha followed his wife action by giving Albus a handshake.

“It has been a while, Luna.” He gave a bow and smiled at them, all eyes twinkling.

“Please, call me Lily. We all had been comrades in the past war.”

Albus nodded at this. James gestured for him to sit and he did so.

“Remus, please begin.”

Remus gave an affirmative nod, gesturing to Charlie to give his report.

“As Lady Andromeda had tracked the last remnants of Lady Narcissa magic, we found the old cottage where she and her son seemed to live. This was located on the outskirts of Romania. The only thing we found there was a burned house.”

“Then have you learned of Draco’s scent?” Andromeda asked.

Charlie shook his head in resignation.

“No. The house was burned by magic,” Penelope Clearwater said and Andromeda’s eyes glared at the girl.

“Tch, I am sure you covered it up with using Dark magic,” she spat and Penelope flinched at this.

The Dark Witch glared back at Andromeda and defended herself. “I may be a Dark witch but that does not mean that I will ally myself with Bellatrix—” she was about to continue but Charlie stopped her as he clutched her arm. They looked at each other and Penelope calmed herself.

“Please, Lady Andromeda. I was with her the whole time. She did nothing but inspect the whole place,” Charlie said.

Andromeda was about to begin speaking once again when Albus stepped in.

“Andromeda, I know of your hate to Dark witches but please, this is not the matter that we currently need to discuss. We need to find Draco.”

She then bit back her tongue and opted to glare at no one in particular.

“Penelope, please continue.”

“As I said, the house was burned by magic. The spell Fiendfyre was used,” Andromeda gasped at this along with Lily. Penelope continued, “but the control was impressive that it only burnt the house and never touched the garden nor the grass that grew around it.”

“What do you think Andromeda?” James asked and she looked in thought.

“No, Bellatrix could not have accomplished that. She is too emotional to even consider those around her and her destructive magic could’ve burned the whole forest down.” She then turned her sharp black eyes towards Penelope. “Tell me, was there any remnant of the magic cast—a signature that we could test to find out whom it belongs to?”

Charlie then plucked a vial containing soil from his pocket and handed it to Penelope who gave it to Andromeda.

They all watched closely as Andromeda wordlessly casted a spell that would reveal to them who it belongs to. The vial sparked and broke until a thin silver thread entwined with black appeared. It floated at first then it began to form a rune. Andromeda’s eyes widened along with Penelope and Sirius.

“It’s beautiful,” whispered Lily. James nodded at her.

“What is it?” Remus asked and Albus answered him.

“Every witch has a magical signature and that is the magical signature of the one who burnt the cottage down.”

Andromeda then turned to Albus, eyes wide and unbelieving.

“It’s impossible!” she began to pace and her eye were livid.

“What is? What is wrong?”

Penelope closed her eyes. _‘This is proof that not all Dark witches will walk the path of the darkness_ ,’ she thought and smiled. As she stared at the threads intertwined together, she began to explain.

“To us, Dark witches, our magic signature is black. It is always black, the tainted, while the Light witches have white or silver. Pure, they say. But the witch who did this is both. Dark and Light. An unnatural phenomenon.”

Andromeda then stopped her pacing and when she looked at them, her eyes were serious. “We have to find my nephew as soon as possible before Bella does.”

“Indeed. If Bellatrix were to find this out, she would not kill Draco. No. She would turn him to their side and you know how she will do it.” Sirius was standing up from his seat now. His fists were clenched.

“Should we also find the one who bears this signature?” Remus then said and Sirius turned to him.

“No, because if we find Draco, we would’ve already found the one who bears it.”

Remus’ eyes widened along with Lily and James. Charlie was left gaping.

“A male witch,” James said.

“A _wizard_ ,” Albus corrected him. The Alpha then turned to Remus who nodded his head at his signal. Along with Charlie, Remus left to gather some of their pack members to begin their search.

“If Bellatrix found out about this, I cannot even think of the possibility,” James voiced out.

They were all stunned at the revelation. Albus remained quite shocked was an understatement. To be a witch born to the light and dark is rare. What is even rarer is that he is a male—an unusual phenomenon, indeed.

The old professor closed his eyes. Now he would have to do everything in his power to make sure that Draco didn’t not fall into the wrong hands. Because if he did, he would be the one to determine their fates. All of their fates.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for your comments and kudos..please tell me what you guys think XD


	7. Bewilderment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im sorry i was only able to update for today...college is horrible as usual and our instructors gave us a ton of work...hopefully i will be able to update and write again by nxt week since i have no classes but no promises though but i will do my very best to do soXD  
> this chapter has been edited by Authlene, she actually sent this edited chapter to me two days ago but today was my only free time to post it haha...thanks again for editing my story Authlene  
> to all those who left comments and kudos thank you veeery much XD

Almost all eyes were on Marius and Orion now as they sat together cordially next to each other. Orion glared at them, causing them to look away.

"That's a good trick you have there."

Orion eyed the human next to him with malice, but the human—Clarke, of course—just grinned at him.

"Do you have a death wish?" he asked.

"Hmm… Will you have the guts to do so?" Marius eyes glinted and this took Orion by surprise that his eyes widened for a bit before he easily covered it up by sneering at the human.

Orion decided that it was best to ignore the human and just try to pay attention to the class. What he did not expect was Snape to give them the Polyjuice Potion to brew. He scowled at the idea of having to be partnered with the human for more than a month.

Marius turned to him. His face was blank and he tilted his head to Orion's direction. Orion raised his eyebrow at this, questioningly.

"Orion, could you please pick up the ingredients while I prepare the cauldron?"

Orion's eye twitched. He gritted his teeth but he felt Snape's eyes on him so he yielded. Dealing with Snape was troublesome since it seemed as if he had taken a liking to the human.

He huffed and headed to the ingredients cabinet. He precisely picked what they needed. He was about to leave when he felt someone held his arm. His eyes trailed on the arm and saw Potter holding him back. He glared murderously and Potter looked at him with equal distaste.

"What do you want, Potter?"

Potter released him and he sneered at those green eyes. The way Potter stood, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but near him.

"Stay away from Marius," said Potter.

Orion snorted at this with amusement dancing in his eyes as he smirked at Potter. The Gryffindor stance was rigid, careful as if he was ready to pounce him.

"Ah… Our dear Golden Boy has taken a liking to the human huh?" Orion's amusement was now completely erased from his features. He turned murderous, but Potter did not flinch.

"Then you should make sure that he knows his place and stay away from me," he bumped his shoulder with Potter and went away, heading back to his desk.

"Something happened?" the human's eyebrow raised in his direction, noticing Potter's eyes on them.

Orion grinned at the human. "Not much." He flashed his fangs. Clarke shrugged his shoulders at that and thus, they then began brewing the potion, watched by a pair of green eyes here and there.

 

…..

 

Potions class was over and Marius grinned evilly at the thought of watching Blaise and Neville dance around each other for a while. It will be an amusing thing to see. He was about to walk in the direction of Theo, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

He looked back to see Harry and two of his friends—one of them was a redhead who looked frazzled and the other was a female that was now smiling at him. Marius couldn't tell why, but he felt like he needed to avoid the girl at all cost. She was not in their class but he noticed she was pretty close to Harry.

"Hey."

His eyes found those Avada Kedavra orbs once again and he fidgeted. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Theo who wanted to be away from the mess happening around him, Blaise who was boring holes at Neville and said person was just looking at the ground, wanting it to swallow him whole. He sighed.

_‘Let's get this over with.'_

"Hi, is something up?" he tilted his head, to look up more properly to the taller werewolf. He stayed indifferent.

"Uhm… No. It's just, do you have a class after this?" Harry looked nervous at asking him and the way he combed his raven locks proved it.

"No. It's my free period but I was going to study—" he did not get to finish his sentence when Harry's female friend cut him off suddenly.

"Oh! That is great! We could study together, after joining us in Divination that is. I'm Hermione, by the way. The red-head over here is Ron." The way her eyes sparkled made Marius want to step back, those inquisitive eyes—

_‘I can't deal with her.'_

"… Oh, um, thanks for the offer, but I promised Theo, Blaise, and Neville, we would study together," he said and whether it was his eyes playing trick or something, he saw Harry's face turned disappointed at this.

"Wait, you hang around with vampires? And Neville hangs out with them too?" the red-head began, his eyebrows were furrowed together. In Marius' opinion, he seemed confused.

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" his eyes turned a bit sharp when dealing with the red-headed male.

"Yeah, there is. You're a human. Vampires treat your kind as food and Neville, well, he is a werewolf."

Marius' eyes turned cold at the redhead's outburst and he replied coldly, "Not all werewolves belong to the light. Not every vampire is in the dark. Witches never remained neutral and chose sides and us humans will not remain weak. Just because some bloody dumb-head decided that he wanted your whole race dead does not mean that you should believe the same." His glare was piercing and this caused Ron to flinch, Harry's eyes to widen, and Hermione merely watched the scene with her mouth gaping.

Marius' posture straightened and he pinned them all with his eyes as if telling them to be ashamed of themselves. "I suggest you not judge a being by its race but by who they are and who they want to become. I will not just stand idly while you accuse my friends." With that, he turned his back and headed to the direction of Theo, Blaise, and Neville who was just watching him, as they heard every word.

"Come on." He pulled them and left the Golden Trio who were stunned, mouths agape.

Blaise blinked his eyes. "I have never seen Granger that speechless before." He then began to chuckle.

They all headed to the Room of Requirement. The tension was gone while they were on the way there. As soon as the door appeared, Marius hurriedly pushed Neville inside the room and Theo did the same to Blaise. Neville squeaked at this, especially when he noticed the door was already closed. Since Marius was the one who conjured it, he and Blaise couldn't open it.

The room was made to look like the Hufflepuff common room with its canary-colored walls and black curtains to balance out the colors. The couches were leather and black as well and everything seemed relaxing.

"Was that really necessary?" Theo sighed, asking Marius who looked pleased.

"Oh, yes, it is," he chuckled. After a few seconds, suddenly he remembered something that he gasped.

"What's wrong?" Theo asked worriedly.

"Stay here. Open the door only when you deem it alright—" He was stopped when Theo raised one of his hands to stop him and Marius pouted at this.

"No way. What if they are in the middle of something? I don't want to be scarred, Marius!"

Marius shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. "This is Neville we are talking about. He is too shy to attempt such a thing."

Theo tutted at him. His index finger waving in front of Marius. "You don't know Blaise like I do."

Marius' mouth was agape. He grunted. "Urgh, fine open the door after 15 minutes or so. I will be back."

"Wait. Where are you going?"

"I need to see Orion to discuss our potion. Bye!" he shouted his farewell as he ran down the stairs. Theo tried stopping him but was too late. The vampire merely sighed. If he went away, the door wouldn't open and God-forbid if Blaise ever tried something like marking Neville. Orion would behead him before he even stepped foot into their common room, so he opted to stay and count the time.

Inside the room, Neville and Blaise were, finally, alone now. The tension was thick and the werewolf could hear his own beating heart. When he tried to look up at Blaise, he noticed that Blaise's heartbeat was normal and this made him even more anxious.

"I guess we won't be getting out till we sort this out huh?" Blaise voiced out. He turned to Neville who was looking at the ground and he decided to take this slow as to not scare Neville away. That was why he decided to take a seat at one of the leather couches. He noticed the werewolf hadn't moved a step from where he stood. That made him heaved a sigh.

"Neville."

Neville flinched involuntarily and he looked up to see Blaise's eyes flashed a feeling of hurt. Neville's wolf howled in pain deep inside of him. Without realizing it, he slumped on the ground and was repeatedly apologizing.

Blaise's eyes widened at that and in one swoop, he was there trying to calm and ease Neville.

"Hush, diletto. Why are you apologizing?" his hands were now holding onto Neville's face to make him face Blaise.

"I-I hurt you."

Blaise's eyebrows knotted at this and he sighed. "To be honest, I was a bit hurt when you started avoiding me. But I guess, we both needed the time to think this through." He gave a small smile until he noticed that Neville wasn't so tense anymore.

"I-I," Neville began, but he was stopped when Blaise suddenly pecked his lips. Neville turned red that it reached the tip of his ears and his mouth was trembling, unable to talk. While Blaise just smiled sweetly at him with adoring eyes.

"But Lestrange—" Blaise cut him off again. This time, by kissing him again. His soft eyes gleamed in the light.

"Vampires search for their mates for almost a lifetime. I found you this early. Do you really think I would let anyone get in the way of my love for you?" Neville stared at him, not believing his hearing. Blaise just smiled wholeheartedly at him. The werewolf couldn't respond, so he was left gaping at the beautiful man in front of him.

Finally gaining his voice, he spoke softly as if in incredulity. "You love me?"

This time, it was Blaise who turned to a different shade of red that he opted to look away. Neville was about to feel rejected but seeing the red in Blaise's neck, he chuckled. Blaise then looked back at him. The vampire felt blessed hearing it since for him, Neville's laughter was like a symphony that his heart always sought.

Neville turned conscious when he noticed that Blaise was staring at him brazenly with his light brown eyes. He looked down embarrassedly, but his chin was lifted up once again. He was forced to face those piercing eyes that look at him as if he was the sun.

"Don't hide away, diletto. I love you just the way you are."

Blaise then leaned in. _‘He is going to kiss me!'_ Neville's brain turned to mush and he could not think. It was blank and he could not discern what to do, so he closed his eyes. But instead of feeling those soft lips before, he felt his forehead touch with Blaise's. He smiled a full-blown smile. He knew that his cheeks might hurt from all his smiling but he did not care. He had his mate with him now and he felt at ease, at last.

 

…….

 

The air in the Conference Room was heavy. Andromeda sat rigidly. Her thoughts were spiraling in her head. She then turned to the still entwined thread, creating the rune. She stood abruptly that it caused the others to stare at her.

"What is it, Andromeda?" Sirius voiced out, worry laced his voice. Andromeda ignored him and opted to cast a spell on the rune. As soon as the magic touched the rune, she hissed. The magic rebounded back to her. She then turned her eyes to Penelope and pointed at her. "You. Try a tracking spell."

Though reluctant, Penelope did as she was told and the same result came to her.

"Smart kid." Andromeda was not sure whether to be proud or to be pissed, as this makes finding her nephew harder than ever. She turned her head to face her companions. "It seems my nephew is very efficient. He asked someone to cover up his whole existence. He could be anywhere by now."

Remus returned after a few moments and reported. "Alpha, there is not enough manpower to begin the search and guard our land at the same time."

James turned to him. "Choose only a few of the elites. The others will remain here for the time being."

Remus bowed his head and began to head out. But before he could get anywhere, a figure came running up at them, one with red hair.

"Percy, is there something wrong?" Remus asked Percy Weasley.

"Urgent report, Beta."

Remus called him inside of the Conference Room. He gave a bow to all those present before saying, "Alpha, Bellatrix Black has begun amassing a huge army."

"What do you mean by that?" James abruptly stood in shock. They are moving faster than any of them could've expected.

"There have been rumors of her heading to the Dark forests, seeking Rouges."

Everyone was in a state of shock. If the rogues decided to join their forces, they would be outnumbered.

"She found him, Alpha. She found Fenrir Greyback."

The room fell silent. Fenrir Greyback was said to have been one of the chosen in line to be Alpha of their pack, but due to the unforgivable crimes that he has committed, he had been banished, alongside his comrades.

Lily turned to Dumbledore with worried eyes. "Albus, what about the Order? Would they be willing to help us this time?"

Albus closed his eyes and shook his head. "Forgive me, Lily, but even I, their appointed leader, could not persuade them. You know that we follow only one leader." The rest remain unsaid as they all knew the reason why the Order, one of the largest neutral coven of Vampires, did not wish to join the war.

"Then how were you able to assist us in the past war if even you follow that one leader?" Andromeda was curious.

"Because he asked me to."

"Does that mean that he is still alive?" James asked quickly.

Albus shook his head. "No. He died after telling me of his order to assist you in any way that I can."

Each one of them was now thinking of ways on how to repel the added threat. Andromeda then turned to Penelope. "You. Return back to my sister's old cottage. Dug up her remains and bring it here."

Penelope looked at her in shock. To dig up a grave is a sign of disrespect, but to use it is even more unforgivable. "Are you planning to use it for a Dark Spell?"

Andromeda snarled at her and Penelope took a step back. She could feel the energy of Andromeda fluctuating. She knows she was far stronger and more experienced than her that she would lose for sure.

"No. I am not like you."

Penelope glared at the High witch and Andromeda haughtily ignored her. Instead, she began addressing James. "Alpha James, you have to understand if Bellatrix were to get her hands on my sister's corpse, she will use it against us. After all, even in death, she could use my sister's body to draw magic and even try to break the barrier."

James looked uneasy. He turned to Lily for her opinion but she looked as if in conflict with herself. He then turned to Sirius who looked pained but he nodded his head. "Remus, order Charlie to bring Narcissa's body here and properly please," he said. Remus bowed before he left along with Percy and his mate Penelope.

Andromeda inwardly smiled at this. _‘Bella, I will assure your death and if the cost would be me turning to the Dark, then so be it.'_

 

……

 

The classroom to Divination was really high that Marius was now thinking twice of following Orion up to his class or to ask him during dinner since he noticed that Orion did not eat anything during lunch times. Theo and Blaise mentioned that Divination was a class for everyone who wishes to take it, but they decided not to as it is rubbish.

He was about to take the first step when he heard his name being called. He looked back to see a male. He knew his is a Slytherin due to the crest on his robes. He raised his eyebrow in question.

"Clarke."

He was about to speak when he was suddenly strangled and pushed to the wall. He held onto the hands that held him up in the air. The way those hands held his throat ached. They stung and it hurt. Even with his life being in danger, he even had the thought to compare the way Orion had done this to him. He realized that it did not hurt like the way this man held his throat.

"What was the dumb old fool thinking when he let you enter this school?" the man snorted in amusement.

"Ah… I haven't had a fresh source of blood since I entered this school and you look so delicious. The way you flaunt yourself—ah… as if you are begging us to prey on you." His face was now close to his neck and Marius whimpered in pain.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt. Instead, I will make it pleasurable for you." The Slytherin was now gnawing with hunger. Marius closed his eyes shut as he was losing too much oxygen and in fear of being bitten or possibly raped.

Before those fangs were able to pierce his neck, he felt someone attacked the man that he slid off the ground, taking in huge gulps of air. His hand was now on his throat, massaging it. He opened his eyes to see Harry about to attack his assailant, but there was Ron who held him back. His assailant snarled and hissed at Harry.

Hermione was crouching by his side and she seems to be asking him something. But due to the lack of oxygen, everything seemed woozy. When Marius became stable, a new individual had entered the hallway to reach the Divination classroom. She had black hair, tied in a bun and dark brown eyes that looked black in the shadows. Marius noticed the crest on her robes and found out that she was in Slytherin. All eyes snapped to her presence and suddenly Hermione was pointing her hand at the new individual but the said person just gazed at them, starting from him to Hermione, then to Ron and Harry, and finally his assailant.

"What is going on here Flint?"

Marius' assailant, Flint, spoke. His voice sounded smug. "Potter and his gang decided to stop me from feeding on the human." Flint then stood up and dusted his clothes.

"Hmm…" the intruder then hummed. She gazed at Marius with a tilted head.

"Don't make me curse you, Parkinson." Hermione snapped.

_‘So, that is Pansy Parkinson The said Queen of Slytherin,'_ Marius thought. He turned to look at Flint and he looked at him like he was a very tasty treat. Without any of them noticing, Flint began to attack him with his fast movements. Even after Harry and Ron realized that, they were too late to react. Marius closed his eyes for the assault that never seemed to arrive.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the back of Pansy Parkinson. She was in front of Flint, blocking his way. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were staring wide in shock at the sudden intrusion of the female vampire.

"Get out of the way, Parkinson," Flint snarled.

Parkinson looked at her nails and, in a bored tone, said, "And why would I listen to you?"

"Acting tough. You think Potter and his puppies would save you?"

Parkinson stopped viewing her nails at that. "No. Why would I need mutts help when I can take you on myself?" Her voice was dripping with venom that made Flint took a step back.

"Don't think this is over Parkinson. You are not my Elder," he threatened before walking away.

She turned back to look at Marius clutching his neck. She crouched and grazed her hand at his pale neck. The coldness of her fingers made Marius shiver.

"Sorry about that. Are you alright?" she gave a small smile and Marius nodded his head, still catching his breath.

"Why'd you defend him when to all of you blood suckers you refer to them as livestock?" Ron snapped at Pansy.

She stood and she just looked down at him. "Professor Snape would have our heads if he ever found out that his new favorite student was sucked dry. Besides…" she began as she stepped closer to Ron, her face merely an inch away from his. Ron was in a state of panic, his brain was telling him to push Pansy away but his heart leaped and howled at the proximity. His hands itched to just grab the black-haired beauty and snog her senseless to make her shut up. "…that is none of your business is it?" Pansy whispered at him.

When she saw how stiff Ron looked, she grinned before taking a step back. She turned her head to Marius who was staring at them with inquisitive eyes which she ignored. "Marius, if you wish to speak to Orion, I think it's best if you approach him after dinner." After saying that, she looked back at the Golden Trio, gave a wink, and walked up the stairs to class.

The Golden Trio looked at each other in disbelief. Ron grunted and pulled a bit on his hair.

"What the hell just bloody happened?"

Harry crouched in front of Marius, ignoring Ron's dilemma. He gently removed Marius' hand from his neck to check on it. When Marius yielded and removed his hand, Harry saw the marks of Flint's hand in his pale alabaster skin. He growled and he clutched on Marius' wrist harder.

"Harry. Let Marius' wrist go. You're hurting him," said Hermione calmly.

Harry did not realize this. He only let go when he noticed the scrunched up face of Marius, obviously in pain. "Sorry." He then raised both of his hand up in surrender. He looked up at Hermione who was checking on Marius' bruise as well. "Can you heal him?"

"Yes. It's just a small bruise anyway." With a few words, she waved her hands and they were all gone. Along with the forming bruise on his wrist.

"Ugh. I have been talking here and you guys have been ignoring me all this time," Ron whined.

Harry sighed at this and shook his head. It was a second later he took notice of how Marius stared at Ron. As if observing him or in the middle of a deep analysis. He saw another change of expression when suddenly, Marius grinned. The human licked his lips, almost sensually that Harry's eyes widened in an instant. A thought registered in his mind and he looked away before he was able to conjure what it is. Fortunately, he was taken out of his reverie when Marius spoke.

"Ron," he called.

"Hm?"

"Do you like Parkinson?"

The room fell into silence almost at the exact second the question flew out of his mouth. A beat and almost in an instant too, Ron's cheeks started flaming, matching his hair somehow. The werewolf's mouth then began vomiting incoherent words, trying to give any form of answer that ended quite miserably.

Marius, ever the sharp person, couldn't stop his already widening grin to get even bigger. The amusing scene already gave him his answer. So, feeling quite humble today, he decided to spare the Weasley's life by standing up and dusting himself, smug and all, before humming to himself while making his way out.

It was when he was about to go around a corner that Ron shouted. "I don't like that pug-faced woman!"

_‘Alright, that's amusing._ ' Marius thought as he spun around so he could come face to face with Ron, smug and all.

"Whatever you say," he said back, chuckling happily, a moment before skipping away from the trio—leaving a grumbling Ron, a speechless Hermione, and an amused Harry on his wake.

 

……

 

Harry felt elated when he heard Marius laugh before. There was something so free in it that he could not comprehend. He felt drawn toward the human in a way he knew was wrong. He had a mate and falling for another would just cause them all bad endings. Realizing this, he decided to lock away his growing feelings before it grew out of his control.

"He really is an enigma," Hermione stated.

Harry, without a second thought, nodded his head meanwhile Ron only pouted.

"He is really sharp. In that single interaction, he was able to read Ron's body language."

"He won't talk, will he?" Ron asked worriedly. After seeing Marius' spark of anger a while ago, he felt threatened that he might spill it because of that incident.

"Ron, Marius is not like that," Harry assured him until he heard his best friend sighed in relief.

"Come on, then. We are already late for class," said Hermione as she began climbing the stairs, the other two following close after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me your thoughts about this chapter, once again thanks for the kudos and comments


	8. Collision and Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry i was MIA for a long time..my exams are finally over and the most awaited break has come, so i can write again hihi  
> thank you for all the comments you all left me and the kudos as well..i am very grateful and happy you liked my story XD  
> thank you Authlene for editing this chapter  
> *im sorry i got the title wrong when i posted the previous title i wrote was supposed to be for the next chapter sorry for that*

Theo was leaning onto the door of the Room of Requirement, his arms crossed, when he saw Hogwart’s currently only human coming his way. With his vampire strengthened senses and all, he could tell from miles away something was bothering his friend.

“You seem in deep thought,” he said when Marius was within range.

“Hmm, yeah,” the other replied, almost nonchalantly. “Pansy Parkinson defended me.”

Theo’s eyebrows shot up hearing what Marius said. He clearly didn’t foresee that answer. “You were attacked?” At that, he gave up his previous position and instead, approached Marius to check on him, making sure he was okay.

Marius’ eyes softened at the worry his friend is show him, trying to make the other sure he was certainly okay and let go of the topic. “My wounds are already healed. Hermione did a pretty good job at it.” Unfortunately, it didn’t look like Theo was about to forget this matter anytime soon.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” said the vampire. His eyes sharp.

Marius inwardly sighed before nodding his head. He summarized the events the best he could without revealing that Ron was Pansy's mate. When he finished, the aura Theo radiated was cold enough to rival the winter.

“I think Flint needs to be reminded some manners.”

Marius let out a smile in reply. “I’m fine, Theo. No need to waste your energy on him.”

Theo hummed, clearly not satisfied but also not wanting to cause Marius discomfort. So he waved his hand as if telling an alright. He then took a step back. His mind was reeling with questions as he crossed his arms. He knew Marius obviously didn’t want any pity or him blindly charging the other vampire to take revenge, but he just couldn’t help himself. He was in the middle of calculating how many rules he would break if he somehow catches sight of Flint when suddenly Marius spoke.

“Theo, why won’t they just claim their own mates?”

This made Theo stood up properly, his hands falling to his side and worry etched on his features.

_‘Who is he talking about?’_

“What do you mean by that?”

Marius sighed deeply. “I just found out that another werewolf is mates with a vampire.”

As soon as those words left his lips, even though Marius didn’t say it, Theo understood. _‘Ah, so that is the reason why Weasley was looking at Pansy with those weird eyes,’_ he thought grimly.

“It wasn’t like this before, you know,” he said, trying to cheer Marius up. He went as far as ruffling the younger boy’s hair, making Marius look up at him with a pout.

“Then, how was it like before?”

He contemplated telling it for several seconds. “Well, if I tell you the whole story, it would take us the whole day.”

“Then tell me.”

Theo covered his mouth to chuckle. “You want to skip classes?”

That was when Marius realized he apparently didn’t have the whole day for himself. He pouted once again. “Tomorrow, then,” he offered. “Harry told me things about the war but only the gist of it. Besides, I want to learn it from your side as well. I want to understand.”

Theo let out a soft sigh. “You are so thoughtful Marius, but some things are just hard to change.”

At that, Marius’ eye flashed with so much determination that Theo couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback. “The past may be hard to change,” he said, “but we have the present to make sure that we will remake the future that our past has written for all of us.” Silver piercing eyes held Theo for a while, challenging him to disagree. When he thought Theo didn’t have anything to say anymore, Marius turned around, about to open the door, but it seemed like he thought wrong. A soft whisper from the vampire stopped him.

“Why are you even thinking of doing this Marius?”

Marius tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Theo fidgeted, unsure whether to tell the truth of what he was thinking or not. It was kind of hard to say, but he decided to tell him anyway at the end. “I mean, no offense, but you are human. Whatever happens in this war has nothing to do with you.”

Marius looked calm when he answered. “This is the world I have chosen to live in. Not the muggle world, but here, the world my mother also lived in. She might’ve kept me away from it before, but now I want to see the world for myself,” said the human. He paused a bit before continuing. “Also, don’t you think it is time for this world to have peace and harmony once again? I mean, don’t we all deserve some happiness?” Theo’s eyes widened, full of wonder. It didn’t last long, though. Soon it turned to be an amused look as he saw Marius grinned at him. “Besides, I’m really bored,” the human finished.

Theo chuckled before it died down several second later. The vampire took a deep breath before saying, “Orion.”

Marius’ eyebrow shot up in confusion.

“If you really wish to cause a change, Orion is the key. Get him to side with you and Slytherin will follow.”

“Orion is volatile,” he countered.

Theo then began shaking his head. “No, and you know that.” He ended that with a smirk. “I have seen you, Marius. You do not fear him like others do. I think you might be the only one capable of bringing our friend back to us. Pansy might’ve seen this too.”

Marius blinked. “Why, do you fear him too?”

Theo flinched at the accusation that he lowered his gaze to the ground.

“That idiot. He distanced himself from us, as soon as Sixth Year began. He became someone we did not know.” He scoffed at no one but himself and continued. “We tried, you know. But he just won’t let us in, he even almost wounded Blaise to death during our training the past month. And I was so mad, I convinced Blaise to stay away from him.”

Theo looked so hurt when he said that, almost as if the memory itself harmed him physically. Marius sighed before putting a hand on the vampire’s shoulder in a calm reassurance.

“Leave wounded animals to me,” he grinned.

Theo couldn’t help himself but laugh. “I can’t believe you just indirectly called him an animal.”

“Hey! Just so you know Beau was a wild dog before till I made him all soft and now he won’t even let me leave his side!” The human said with so much smugness in his face that made Theo wanted to burst into another wave of laughter. But then a line caught his interest that he spoke in a thinly veiled curiosity.

“Wait, you have a dog?”

Marius nodded eagerly.

“Here?”

“Yep!” and Theo laughed again.

“I wonder how the Gryffs will react to seeing your dog,” the vampire said, his lips twisted in amusement.

Marius looked smug once again. “Ha! That would be a spectacle to see, huh?”

Theo can only chuckle at his friend’s antics before he asked, “So, where is this beast anyway?”

“Oh, you can meet him tomorrow at my common room, if you want to,” Marius answered him with a smile.

Theo mirrored that. “Great. Now, I guess we should open the door. I fear for Neville’s sake.” The human nodded and turned towards the door. This time, no one stopped him from opening it a little and soon, the duo peeked through the crack. When they saw no one, they entered the room silently and Marius began looking around.

“Where are they?”

“Shh,” Theo placed his index finger at his mouth and signaled for Marius to walk toward the couches. There they saw the two tangled up in each other’s arms, sleeping in peace. Neville’s head was snuggled to Blaise’s neck while the latter’s chin was resting on Neville’s head, his hands clutching Neville’s waist protectively.

“I guess they were able to work things out huh?” Theo nudged Marius, his face was smiling.

“This is a proof that our future could still turn out brightly,” Marius stated as relief streamed through his veins. Theo merely nodded his head as he conjured a blanket provided by the Room and placed it on the sleeping couple.

…..

It was later, after ensuring Theo watched over the sleeping couple in the Requirement Room, that Marius found himself heading towards Professor McGonagall’s office to pass his essay on Vampire and Werewolf studies. Since that was the only subject he did not have with his classmates, Dumbledore decided that Professor McGonagall would be the one to teach him.

The hallways were, as usual, calm and bare. Or at least, that was until he rounded a corner and a sudden spark flew right in front of him, missing his nose by millimeters. When he turned around, he saw his classmate, Luna Lovegood, facing off another witch who seemed to be a year older than them. There were other two witches who merely stood on their places behind the senior, watching the scene as if an enjoyable show. That, and they seemed pretty smug that the older witch was about to defeat Lovegood.

Marius stared as Lovegood evaded spell after spell and casting jinxes on her own. He could see the sweat trickle from her forehead as she casted a protective charm when one of the females joined to hex her. He could see the shield wasn’t enough and that it was about to break any time soon. The fact that the other one was preparing to attack her too was screaming danger in Marius' ears. He ran towards the direction of Lovegood and pulled her away at the right time before the other witch casted bombarda. That was so going to be a fatal attack.

The females gasped as Marius held Lovegood to his chest protectively. He turned back and glared at them. “What do you think you are doing?” The anger in his voice wasn’t veiled at all.

They looked at one another before one of them spoke up. She looked like an Asian, but when she spoke it was clear that she was born and raised in England. She had black hair and her bangs were almost covering her brown eyes. She looked smug as she looked down at Marius and the now unconscious Lovegood.

“You shouldn’t interfere things that do not concern you.”

Marius scoffed and spat in return. “She is a witch just like you and yet why—“ he was cut off by the same female that was now looking at him with waves of disgust.

“Just like us? Please. She is a Dark witch. Impure, filthy and practices the Dark Arts. How dare you defend her?”

Marius was this close to hex her himself. “Just because she is a Dark witch you attacked her? Then what makes you any better? Three seniors attacking a single student, a junior, without any reason at all?” The other two flinched as silver eyes glared at them with malice.

The Asian stood her ground, though. “Then what proof do you have that we attacked her at all?” She made her point by looking around to make sure no one in sight. “I mean, look around you. Nobody is here.”

Marius sneered at that. Now he understood why Professor Snape was so bitter, what’s with dealing bunch of bullshits like this every day.

“Why would I need a witness when I can just offer Professor McGonagall my memories to prove it?”

This stunned the Asian girl for some time that Marius almost laughed at her misery.

“Y-you are just a human! You know nothing of the spell that allows you to do that!” she said in desperation.

His sneer turned even more deadly. “Ah, but I do know the spell. Legilimency, isn’t it? And if Professor would wish to view my memories on a Pensive, the spell would be—“

“Stop!” the other girl shrieked. Her brown complexion convinced Marius she was from somewhere in India.

“What do you want us to do?!”

“Padma.” The last one of the trio struggled to hold the Indian back. “You—“

“Marietta!” Padma yelled back. Her eyes shot a glare at the girl named Marietta, who has blonde curly locks and pale complexion. She was about to yell some more but was stopped by the Asian.

“Shut up Padma. I can handle this.”

Padma didn’t listen. “No. Cho, if you ever cast a spell on that human, do you really think the Headmaster is going to let this go?” Her sharp eyes made Cho shut her mouth and gritted her teeth in frustration. Then Padma turned to Marius and asked once again.

“What do you want from us?”

Marius sent them a smirk. His suddenly piercing grey eyes boring to every single one of them cruelly. “Don’t repeat this again, or else.” The real threat remained unspoken, but he said everything so icily that Padma took a step back in fear, a shiver running up her spine.

She took a deep breath before shakily said “Done,” and walking away as fast as she could, all the while pulling a furious Cho and a stunned Marietta with her.

As soon as he saw that they were out of sight, he immediately went to check on Lovegood. When he noticed that she had some serious injuries, he slung his bag over his shoulder. He carried her bridal-style and began running to the Hospital Wing.

Once he rounded up on one of the corners, he almost bumped into one of his classmates, who is headed to her own class which Marius remembered as DADA. Her red bright-hair reminded him of Ron, though he never asked.

“Woah, what happened?” she suddenly asked him.

“No time to explain. Can you tell Professor McGonagall that Lovegood is in the Hospital wing?”

“Uh…yeah, I—“

He did not let her finish her statement as he ran down the hallway as fast as he can. He was already near the Hospital Wing that he noticed there were now a lot of students who were out in the hallway. Most of them were higher years and were staring at him weirdly as he carried the unconscious witch.

It wasn’t long until he was surrounded by the vampires that seemed to have smelt the blood of Lovegood from her injuries. “I don’t think I want to let you pass, especially since you are carrying a very enticing meal in your arms.”

Marius did not know what to do, so he clutched Lovegood closer to him in hope that her smell is covered by his non-existent scent.

“Let me pass.” He glared at the one standing too close in front of him. When it was clear no one was backing off, Marius was ready to shield his body from their attacks. That, until he heard a very familiar voice.

“Why are you blocking the way?”

All eyes snapped to the direction of the voice, only to reveal a dangerous looking Orion who looked pissed as hell.

“Lestrange, we—“

With a wave of his hand, the higher year who spoke closed his mouth instantly.

Orion’s eyes landed on the center of attention before they met Marius unwavering gaze. Within second, he was already standing feet away from the human. He closed his eyes as he savored the smell of blood in the air and when he opened his eyes, it was swirling blue with a hint of it turning red.

He then took a step back and began walking away. Such gesture seemed like a permission for the other vampire as they suddenly regained their previous formation. Circling the human and witch, as if a feast. Though this time, it didn’t last long for the clicking of Orion’s shoes were heard when he stopped.

“Ah,” his voice was clear, bouncing on the hallway, and when he continued, he didn’t look back at the vampires who stopped at his words. “You should let them pass.”

It wasn’t very well received, though.

“And why is that Lestrange?” One of them hissed.

Orion turned back to see the one who talked back to him and stared down. “Potter and his puppies are coming.”

“Do you think we would back off?” the higher year said smugly.

Orion only shrugged his shoulders at the comment. “Well, if you are in the mood to brawl with him then do so. Don’t expect me to fight your battles with you.” His tone that clearly challenged anyone who was stupid enough to do what he said, combined by the grin coming a second after, had the higher year that spoke paled. Happy with the impact he made, the Lestrange vampire walked away.

It wasn’t a heartbeat later, as soon as Orion disappeared, that Harry, Ron, and Hermione rounded off the corner.

“What is going on here?” Harry said, his voice turned into a growl as he realized the vampires were surrounding Marius and Lovegood. The smell of blood in the air didn’t help as it only made his growl turned even more animalistic.

Sensing Harry’s obvious deadly state and truly not wanting anymore blood splattered anywhere, Marius took a deep breath before shooting his very best glare to anyone in the vicinity. “I don’t have time for this,” he snapped, “move!” His voice was so demanding that the vampire moved quickly as if to evade his wrath. He soon began his quick strode to the hospital wing. Harry and the others followed suit, not before the werewolf sending another warning growl to the vampires.

“What happened?” Harry asked as soon as they were in another less crowded hallway, but Marius ignored his question. He opted to turn to Ron and began handing Lovegood to him.

“Hey, wh—what?”

“Hospital wing. Now!” Marius commanded sharply. Ron quickly obliged, leaving his shocked friends in his wake. No one could command Ron that way. Not anyone except Harry, as he was the Alpha.

Said Alpha’s shocked state didn’t last long though because soon, he turned his attention to the human in front of him. Marius’ clothes were smeared with blood and the fact that he didn’t exactly know whether that blood was only Lovegood’s or not made Harry instantly checked any injuries on the blond.

“I’m fine,” Marius sighed, “Rather than worrying me over nothing, don’t you guys want to know just what happened?”

He didn’t wait for them to answer as he ran at his own pace as well to the hospital, again, leaving the Granger and the werewolf standing behind for exactly two seconds before the both of them quickly caught up to him.

…….

Madam Pomfrey was humming to herself as she stirred her cup of tea inside her office. In total, it was a good day, no student was sent to the hospital wing from their training. She began to savor the smell of Earl Grey, closing her eyes, when a bang was heard.

“Madam Pomfrey!”

She spluttered her drink, causing the tea to splash on her documents and even her white uniform. She was muttering profanities as she banished the stains with a wave of her hand. Obviously annoyed, she opened the door to her office. A badly injured witch in the arms of Ronald Weasley made her completely forget she should have lashed at anyone behind the door.

“Oh good gracious, Mr. Weasley! Quick gently place her here!” She hurriedly motioned to one of the empty bed. Ron did the best he could to ease the blonde girl to the bed. When the girl was finally out of his arms, only did he notice how badly injured she was.

“What happened, Mr. Weasley?” Madam Pomfrey asked without looking at him as she casted spell after spell to heal the girl.

“I—uh...I was just ordered to bring her here by—“

The door was pushed open at that time, revealing a panting Marius whose clothes were covered in red stain, followed by his two friends. He sighed as he did not know what to say to the old witch.

“She was attacked, Madam Pomfrey, and the fastest way to get her here was to ask Ron here.” Marius gestured to Ron who seemed proud to be of help.

“Quick thinking, Mr. Clarke. Had she been brought here any longer, she would’ve lost too much blood,” the witch said before she added, turning to Ron. “Mr. Weasley, would you please help me in turning her around? I need to tend to her back.”

As soon as they turned her on her stomach, she hissed in pain. There were four huge lashes on her back that were caused by magic, her clothes were now in tatters. Madam Pomfrey gasped at this. Out of curiosity, the other three looked as well and they were all equally shocked.

“Who did this?” Hermione asked, her voice shaking.

“Why don’t you ask your fellow Light Witches?” Marius said, sarcasm dripping his voice, without turning his head to face her as he helped Madam Pomfrey apply a salve to the poor girl’s back.

Hermione choked off a reply. “Wh—what?”

“You heard me,” Marius snapped back and Hermione seemed offended.

“I am sure that there are no Light witches who would dare do such a thing. Only a Dark witch would do this to one of their own,” she defended but even her voice was wavering.

Finally, Marius turned to her. Unshed tears in his eyes making his irises looked like molten silver.

“You were probably thinking that if you left the Dark witches alone the others would also do the same. But have you seen it? Most witches being brought to the hospital wing are Dark witches. I have only been here for a few days and I have already noticed. Just how blind are you?” he hissed venomously.

Clearly seeing dangers flashed around the human, Ron then stood in front of Marius in defense to his friend silently. Hermione looked like she had been slapped and she felt tears started forming. Before they could fall, she turned to Madam Pomfrey, asking quietly. “Is it true, Madam Pomfrey?”

The old witch merely closed her eyes before nodding.

Hermione was now fighting an internal battle inside of her head, her body shaking. Marius sending daggers at her through Ron made the battle no less easy. If anything, it made her felt cold all over.

“No. That is not true. That must be a lie. We Light witches will never—“

She was again stopped when Marius snapped at her, his patience wearing. “How thick can you get?!”

“Marius that is enough,” Harry voiced out sternly before the human could get his voice any higher. Marius glared at him before he turned again to the girl. This time, his voice was lower but colder.

“The Ravenclaws look up to you as a leader, Hermione, but please. Don’t turn your eyes away from the Dark witches just because you are a Light witch. Don’t you dare allow your prejudices to block your view of the truth that is right in front of you.”

“Marius. Enough.”

“You are the same, Harry.” The human chuckled darkly.  “You only protect those under your wing, but what about those who aren’t?”

Harry had heard enough. He started approaching Marius, his fists balled at his sides.

“You know nothing of our world,” he spat. “You know nothing about me, about Hermione. You are nothing. You are just a human.”

Hurt flashed in Marius’ eyes the instant the last line was out of his mouth and Harry realized that. He knew he had just made a horrible mistake, but his rage clouded his head. When Marius met his eyes once again, they were empty. Cold.

“Leave,” he said. “Now.”

When none of them moved, too stunned, Madam Pomfrey took this as her cue to enforce her rules. “I think it is best if you all leave.”

Harry was gritting his teeth as he left. Ron was holding onto Hermione’s arm who was now lost deep inside her own mind as he also glared at Marius before they followed suit.

It took the human three deep exhales and inhales before he finally could turned his head towards Madam Pomfrey and bowed his head.

“I apologize for the scene I have caused,” he said, perfectly prepared to hear a lashing tongue directed at him. Surprisingly, all he felt was a hand patting his head.

“What you did was brave, Mr. Clarke. You stood up for the sake of another student. Not just any other student, but a Dark witch one who is known to have a dark history with your race.” She turned her eyes to the sleeping blonde and Marius followed her gaze. “Had she heard of it, she would’ve been happy.”

“Is this really how twisted the world is?” he asked as he watched the way the wounds on Lovegood’s back healed slowly.

Madam Pomfrey’s eyes went to him then back at her patient. “It wasn’t all like this before.”

Marius blinked once, twice, before his lips turned upwards and then, he was chuckling.

The old Medi-witch couldn’t help herself but to feel confused at the extreme switch of emotion. Not that she thought it was bad. Rather, seeing the boy’s expression brightened this fast was a great relief for her. Still, she asked him what caused such action.

“You said the same thing as Theo,” answered Marius.

“Theodore Nott?” The shock on her voice slipped without her consent. “You are acquaintances with a vampire?”

Marius smiled sheepishly as he sat down on the bed where Lovegood lay, her back bare to allow the wounds to heal. “Two vampires, actually, but back to the point. Did witches have this much hostility with each other before?”

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. “No. It began with the Black sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix. Surely you know of them?” Marius merely nodded his head.

“While Andromeda was born a Light witch, Bellatrix was her opposite. The latter was promised to become the High witch, but when their mother retired, she announced that Andromeda would be her Heir. This caused Bellatrix to go on a rampage. She was stopped by the death of their mother but she swore to take back everything Andromeda has taken from her.”

Growing more curious than ever, Marius asked. “What about their other sister? Narcissa?”

“Ah. Kind, neutral Narcissa. Had she become the High Witch, no Dark witch would ever be judged by their nature. But alas, she loved them both so much that she could not bear to choose a side. That was why she ran away from fate despite having the power to stop her sisters from destroying each other. Then the war happened, she reappeared and after she did her role, she once again vanished.”

Marius felt like he was missing important pieces that he needed to know, but asking too much would make the old witch wary of him. He sighed, then opted to say thanks instead. Madam Pomfrey only waved her hand.

“It is fine, dear. Now, will you be staying here?”

Marius nodded. “Yes. It would cause Lovegood distress if she suddenly finds herself here alone anyway.”

“Very well. I will write you a slip for whatever class you missed.” And with that, she left. Marius then decided to sit on the chair instead after sitting on the edge of Lovegood’s bed. Pulling out one of the books in his bag, he decided to read while waiting for Lovegood to awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to some of your questions from the previous chapter about the lack of Draco's protection on himself will be answered in the next chapter...hopefully you guys like this chapter and the next one  
> please tell me guys what you think, i love reading comments so leave one if ya want hihi


	9. Call of Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! i know i have been MIA for a loong time its due to real life and im really sorry for that *bows*  
> (BTW Belated Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all)  
> thank you very much to my Beta Authlene who edited this chapter, without you i am very sure that my story would be a total mess and i could never thank you enough for your help 
> 
> thanks to all those who left kudos and comments, those who subscribed and bookmarked my story many thanks to you all

Marius released a weary sigh as soon as Madame Pomphrey was already inside the confines of her office. Thinking about the events before, Marius almost lost his cool when he knew his magic almost ran amok in order to protect him. Good thing the necklace was too strong enough to stop it from happening. Had a large amount of magic been released, they could all easily found him and he would need to flee someplace else.

He realized how vulnerable he had been in the past circumstances, not being able to do anything else as a human. But being human for the time being is better than being hunted like an animal everywhere he goes.

“ _Tsk_.” He clicked his tongue. He was forever grateful Orion appeared there or else he would’ve been forced to summon Beau for protection. He knew his mother placed a charm on Beau to turn him from the softie that he was to an overprotective guard dog.

Remembering the way he snapped at Hermione, he did feel a bit bad about it. But if no one pointed it to her, she would not have realized it on her own. The way she was taught by the High Witch was severely biased. It looked as if she was brainwashed to only believe what has been said to her to be true.

Shaking his head to focus on a much important matter, he began thinking of ways on how he would have his own protection and when his eyes darted to the unconscious witch, it sparked an idea in his brain as grin bloomed on his face. He closed off his potions book and made sure that the curtains were closed behind him. After that, he slowly stood up and approached the sleeping witch.

He began to have second thoughts about his idea of using her blood to cover up his own blood rune in order to protect himself. He shook his head and made up his mind. He learned this spell form his mother when he was young. In the past, the blood that his mother used was the blood of Mrs. Clarke to cover up their tracks whenever they went someplace far away.

He slowly took his necklace from his shirt and it glinted brightly at the sun’s rays. Then carefully, not wanting to wake up Lovegood, he took her hand into his. He began looking around for any sharp object to prick her finger with. Having no choice, he released her hand for a while and plucked his bag and took his quill since it has a sharp edge. He went with it and shrugged his shoulders. He also took the bowl that was on the bed table. It was a bit huge, but it wasn’t like he had any other choice.

He took Lovegood’s hand again, making sure that she was fully asleep before he pricked her forefinger. Blood trickled from the cut and he easily let it fall to the bowl. He took as much as he could and stopped when he deemed it enough. He gently placed her hand on the bed, then taking the quill, he too pricked his forefinger, letting the blood mingle with Lovegood’s.

He then dipped his right hand’s forefinger to the blood and he willed a small part of his magic to seep out of the barrier of the necklace.

“ _Sanguis Calautica,_ ” he whispered. This small sliver of him using magic would not be detected as he had seen his mother do this a dozen of times all in order for them not to be tracked. After the blood swirled for a bit, he began to write in thin air the rune for the spell _Muffliato_. As soon as the rune was written, it glowed and then dissipated as the spell was then casted.

When he felt the magic, he grinned widely like a Cheshire cat as all he could feel was the magic of Lovegood, it covered up his signature easily as if Lovegood casted the spell. _Sanguis Calautica_ is a spell that his mother created during her hiding, by using another witches’ blood mingling it with theirs. Casting it, they would be able to use their magic but the signature of the magic would not be tracked back to them. Instead, it went to the blood of another witch that they have used. The only problem of the spell was that it was only applicable when using it to write runes with the blood for the spell.

“Thank you, Lovegood,” he said gratefully as he then began to write a rune for a Blood Protection Ward for himself. Again, as if he was writing on a wall, the runes were written with blood in thin air. It formed a circle. When it was done, it glowed and was then sucked to his necklace, engraved there as if it was there in the first place. Now it would look as if Lovegood was the one who placed the protective charm on him.

Seeing as there were only a little bit of blood remaining, he then used it to write the runes to cure Lovegood of her every injury and help her recover easily. As soon as the runes were written, glowed, and dissipated, the wincing of the witch was lessened and she looked to be sleeping peacefully as of the moment. With a last use of the magic, he removed the traces of blood from the bowl, along with _muffliato_.

He heaved a huge sigh as he sat down on his chair and fixed the curtains. Done with making sure everything was in place like before, he then began humming a tune his mother did when he was young, all the while picking his book once again and continued reading.

…..

Hermione was still in shock even when they were now lounging at the Gryffindor common room. She swallowed and turned her brown eyes towards Ron. The werewolf was playing chess by himself on the corner while Harry was pacing as if having an internal battle with himself.

“Is it true?”

Harry stopped pacing and Ron turned towards her.

“What is Hermione?” Harry asked as he sat down on one of the couches. His internal battle seemed to have been pushed aside for a while.

“What Marius said before.”

The room turned quiet. None of them was willing to speak. That was until Hermione quivering lips moved again.

“That was lie right? I mean, there is no way that Light witches will try to attempt such things. We would never hurt anyone at all,” she reasoned out, but her mind was in confusion. Several objections swirled around her, but she couldn’t just believe everything so easily. She opened her mouth again, trying to utter _anything_ , only for the door to be pushed open. Revealing a red head peeking in.

“Uhm… can I come in?”

Seeing that it was just Ron’s little sister, Ginny, they allowed her in. She seemed to be searching for another face in the room and she looked disappointed when she found none.

“Who are you looking for Ginny?” Ron asked as he stepped away from his chess board to lounge on the couch opposite Hermione.

“I was looking for Clarke. Professor McGonagall wanted to speak with him.” She noticed the way Harry’s fist clench and her curiosity get the better of her. “Did something happen?”

The trio looked at one another and Hermione nodded as she then began telling the incident to her. After she heard the story, Ginny scoffed and began, “So, he said that Light witches attacked Lovegood?”

“That was what I was saying too Ginny. I mean we would never do such a thi—“ she was stopped when Ginny’s aura sparked in anger.

“Did Marius say who did it?”

“Wait, what?” Hermione was then confused.

“I said _who_. Did Marius say any names?”

Hermione then looked at Ginny with disbelief, not fully understanding what was just said. Harry and Ron remained quiet.

“I can’t believe you Ginny. You are actually buying what he said? There is in no way that Light witches would do such a thing!” she argued.

Ginny glared at her, then turned to Harry and Ron, before looking back to Hermione. “Until how long are you going to be blindly believing that all Light Witches are good?”

Hermione looked as if someone just slapped her in the face.

“H—How can you say that Ginny?!”

Ginny pursed her lips, took a step forward to the witch, but was stopped when Ron stood up and held her wrist.

“That is enough Ginny,” he said calmly. Of course he was answered by a snarl.

“No I will not!” She took back her hand from her brother and glared at Hermione. “Hermione, I have always respected you and I plan on keep doing so in the future. You are indeed suitable to be the High witch, but what I could never understand is why you never help the Dark witches that clearly need your help. Why don’t you ask our fellow Light witches about this incident? It would surely be much better if you asked Professor Snape for some Veritaserum first.” With that, she left the room, not at all caring the conflicted look Hermione gave her, and immediately rushing headed to the infirmary.

While she was running to its direction, she remembered her younger years in Hogwarts. She was the same as Hermione. Prideful, biased, and did not care about any of the Dark witches. That was until the day she saw Luna Lovegood, her classmate, being cursed because of nothing except the fact that she was a Dark witch by none other than Cho Chang. She was one of Andromeda’s possible successor. That day, she learned the truth. She saw the fear in the Dark witches eyes, their silent pleas all directed to Hermione for help that all went into ashes as she decided not to do anything about it.

Ever since then, Ginny did her best to help those of the Dark. They pushed her away in fear, sadly, but only Lovegood did not. Her eccentric personality had always been very interesting for her to figure out.

……..

The doors of the infirmary was suddenly pushed open. Marius' head snapped only to see Theo, Blaise, and Neville. As soon as Theo's eyes met his, they approached him. The human thought that Theo looked like a man on a mission. Suddenly, hands were on his shoulder. Theo's eyes hold his gaze sharply, his orbs looked threatening and it made a shiver ran down Marius’ spine.

"Uhm... hi?" He blinked.

Convinced his friend was indeed okay, Theo released a sigh of relief at that before doing the same with his grip. Marius then gave him a pat on the shoulder as if telling the other not to worry with a reassuring smile. The vampire smiled back. Marius then directed his gaze elsewhere and it landed on Blaise and Neville’s entwined hands. He grinned at both of them, making Neville blush to the ends of his cheek and Blaise looking away from him.

"Why are you guys here anyway? Don't you have Vampire training?"

Theo’s sharp gaze came back a second later.

"Marius, despite not being the Elder of the Slytherins, I know what happens around here."

Marius gave out a shaky laugh, seeing how scary Theo could be when he wanted to, before deciding it was best for him to tell everything to them. Of course leaving the last part when he performed magic.

Blaise chuckled loudly at the end of the explanation and was easily reprimanded by Neville by a single look. He clamped his mouth shut, but his grin was still evident on his face. "You really shouted at Granger?" He asked.

Marius nodded, almost too eagerly.

“Are you trying to make an enemy out of the whole school Marius?" Theo chided.

Marius’ eyes looked at him amusedly. “Then what do you want me to do, leave her?”

The vampire let out a sigh. _‘Why do I feel like an old man reprimanding his son?’_ He never felt so old in his entire life like he did at this moment and the fact that he was not even close to old in vampire age spoke volumes.

A sudden opening of the door made them all turn to look at the intruder, only to see Ginny Weasley slowly walking to their direction. Her eyes never left Marius’ and so he did the same. When they all thought she was going attack Marius, instead they were shocked when she bowed her head.

“Clarke, I thank you for helping Luna out,” the Weasley said sincerely.

Blaise whistled and Neville elbowed him, making him choke.

“It’s fine, Weasley. You would do the same had you been the one to see her, right?”

Grey met brown and it looked as if they had a silent understanding.

Ginny gave him a small smile. “Don’t worry about Hermione. You opened the door for her. I’m sure she will explore the truth soon. She will thank you for that,” she added.

Marius nodded. “Alright.”

Blaise had no idea what they were saying and Neville whispered that he would explain it to him later. Marius noticed that Theo turned silent all of a sudden. When he was about to study him properly, a movement from Lovegood caused them all to focus on her.

She grunted and winced for a bit. When she opened her eyes, Marius noticed that she had a ring of grey in her eyes but overshadowed by the blue hue. Luna tried to sit up, but Marius instantly held her down, her stomach still facing the bed.

“Rest, Lovegood. You’re safe now.”

Their eyes met and Lovegood gave him a weird look that Marius did not understand. Her eyes looked around before settling on Ginny. The Weasley came forward and with a small smile on her face, greeted her.

“How are you?”

“A bit sore, but I feel fine.”

Her eyes then darted to Marius as if she knew something that they didn’t. The human was about to ask what’s wrong when her eyes suddenly drooped shut and she was unconscious once more.

Ginny sighed, her head turning towards Marius. “Clarke, Professor McGonagall is asking for you.”

“I see.” Marius gave her a nod. “I leave her to you then.” He picked up his bag and slung it to his shoulder. He was about to walk away when Ginny stopped him.

“Wait.” Marius stopped in his tracks and looked back, tilting his head in question. Then, with a wave of hand and a mumble of spell from Ginny, the blood stains in his clothes were gone.

“Thanks.”

Ginny only smiled at him and took the seat that he occupied a while ago.

“Shall we go?”

With a last glance from Theo to the two witches, he followed his friends out of the Hospital Wing.

Once they were all out, Marius began waving them goodbye. He was ready to turn around when suddenly Theo held the neckline of Marius’ shirt, preventing him from moving.

“Theo!” Marius whined like a kid and Theo gave him a reprimanding look. “What? Why are you looking at me that way?”

Theo sighed then released him.

“From now on, we will escort you wherever you go.” He took a glance at Blaise and a twitch of his eyes was noticed by Marius. “Well, since Blaise is occupied by Neville, it looks like t will be just you and me.”

Marius took a peak behind Theo and saw the two lovebirds caught up in their own world chatting. Marius grinned widely, but stopped as soon as Theo’s sharp eyes caught his. ‘ _He is such an overprotective Dad_.’ Marius looked at him fondly.

“Fine, Dad,” and he began walking away from a stunned Theo who afterwards regained his thoughts and followed him. They both left the two lovers in their own devices, seeing as they were inside their own bubble.

…….

Bellatrix Lestrange finally reached her destination. The crack of Apparition was heard as her protégé arrived after her. Her eyes snapped to see the land where her sister used to live, only to see the cottage burnt to the ground.

"Tsk,” she snapped at no one. "Now let us track my nephew, shall we?"

Her protégé moved away from her as Bellatrix began raising her hand and chanted numerous spells all at once. The magic was felt in the air and when she snapped her eyes open, she saw the magic signature pouring out of the house.

A maniacal laugh was emitted by Bellatrix at the sight.

Her protégé turned towards her. “Mother!” the girl voiced out her worry and something indescribable in her voice.

"Ah, how pure!" Bellatrix shouted, ignoring her daughter’s call in the process.

Her daughter approached her slowly. “I have never seen anything like it before, Mother. What is it?” she asked carefully.

“Ingrain this view, this feel, this knowledge in your very soul, my daughter.” As Bellatrix words hung in the air, the girl behind her could feel the magic so strongly, unwavering. “This, my dear, is a Nullum.”

“A Null?” the girl’s voice was confused. She knew for sure that thing didn’t exist in any kind of book she had ever read.

“Yes. Someone who bears both Light and Dark magic. The Great Witch, Merlin, was one.”

Her daughter’s eyes widened at this. Merlin was said to be the most powerful witch in the ancient times, second to none. Though her Aunt Narcissa was said to be stronger than her knowing this, makes her think that Merlin was stronger than Narcissa.

“Then, having this witch as our enemy would be dangerous.”

Bellatrix’s eyes gleamed and her smile turned wicked. “To continue on being a Null, one has to maintain a balance of Light and Darkness within them.” She conjured a wisp of her magic which took the form of werewolves. One was a pure white and the other was midnight black. They danced together in a circle, as if in harmony. “But, if one were to tip the balance…” She used more magic on the black one and in a cruel way, it devoured the white meek one, leaving no trace. This demonstration made her daughter understand and she smiled wickedly as well as her Mother.

“You wish to turn this Null into a pure Dark witch.”

“Wizard, my dear.”

Her daughter’s eyes widened— _a male!?_

“ _What_?”

Then, Bellatrix nodded her head.

“Yes, my dear. Your dear cousin, Draco, did this. Were you not paying attention, child?”

Her daughter tensed and fear began to overtake her nerves. She knew she was not paying much attention to whom did the signature belong to. She was about to apologize when her Mother spoke.

"Take the corpse. We are leaving,” she ordered.

Her protégé merely nodded and began chanting another spell while Bellatrix was lost in her thoughts. She had never expected this at all. Now it seems like killing her nephew would be a waste. He would be a very suitable offering to their Lord. He might even take the child as his mate. The first male wizard, a rare Null, what a perfect combination. She was feeling giddy and plans were being formulated in her mind.

“It is done, Mother.”

She looked back at her daughter, by her side was the coffin of her sister floating. White, how befitting of Narcissa. She touched the coffin slowly, the dirt banished and where she touched turned black. Her eyes gleaming with excitement, her smile malicious.

“Cissy, you left the perfect gift for my Lord and for that, I will put your body to good use. You don’t have to worry a thing, I will take care of your son.”

She felt the anger and jealousy sparked from the girl behind her. Bellatrix approached her and lifted her head. Her face finally shown in the light. Her hair turned fiery red and her eyes as black as her coat.

“You have nothing to be jealous of, my dear Nymphadora.”

Her eyes then returned back to their original shade of brown. She bowed her head in apology and _Apparated_ away along with the coffin.

“I wonder what dear sweet Andromeda will do.”

Bellatrix's smile turned wicked.

_‘With her own child by my side, I wonder how she is faring right now?’_

“I cannot wait to find out.”

She waved her hand and a Fiendfyre with a shape of a snake appeared. She _Apparated_ away after that, her cackle of laughter echoing as the snake devoured the land and the mountain to ashes.

……..

Orion was still feeling weak. The mark branded on his arm stung. Even the food at the Great Hall could not help him. He needed blood freshly from the source, that was what could easily help his body regain back its lost strength from the marking. He tried to question his Father why there was a need for them to be marked when they already gave their loyalty to the Dark Lord.

When he saw the Dark Lord, he still looked weak as only one part of his Seal was removed due to the death of Narcissa, his aunt, the main castor of the Seal. He was given a mission that was to act as a Spy and poison Albus Dumbledore to weaken his connection to the ward. That way, he could easily help his Mother to destroy the barrier and allow them to kill the Headmaster.

He was parched, so thirsty. He needed blood. He didn’t care whose it would be. A witch who sat with a Gryffindor smelled divine that he almost sunk his teeth on that thin neck and sucked her dry. Good thing he was able to control his hunger. A few moments later he looked around again and spotted a slight glimmer of silver. Alone. When he approached the figure carefully, he saw that it was the human who he often saw with Blaise and Theo, Clarke. In the light of the moon, he stood there unmoving. Orion watched him carefully, waiting for the right time to attack.

He did not take account that he was not hidden properly and was startled when the human suddenly looked back. Red eyes met silver. There was a sudden look of confusion that graced Orion's features as he stared right back at the human. Clarke looked like a painting, but due to his haze, he could not remember what painting was it. His lust for blood was so strong that he could not comprehend what the human was saying to him.

He was already slumped on the ground. Two hands was holding on to his shoulder and all he could hear was the pumping of Clarke’s blood everywhere. Then he heard a voice full of worry. There was no fear and Orion almost laughed at this but he could not. If he did not stay away now, he would be ripping this human to shreds and bleeding him dry.

"I'm sorry—so sorry." Then Orion heard his own voice broke. He was sobbing profusely and he felt his head being cradled at Clarke’s shoulder. He was being embraced, comforted. He could not stop himself from saying the words repeatedly.

" _Shhh_. What is wrong, Orion?" the human’s voice was calming the storm within Orion.

"I need blood. I-I can't stop it,” he said.

"Didn't you eat?" Clarke said lightly and Orion chuckled at this, bitterly.

"I can't consume it anymore," Clarke began brushing his dark locks as if urging him to continue.  "He—he did something to me." He wriggled out of Clarke’s arms, then rolled his sleeves. There was an ugly Dark Mark that now marred his skin. He noted that Clarke’s eyes widened for a second before it disappeared and those silver eyes stared at him in concern. He did not know why he was spouting off his secrets to the human, but there was something in those eyes that compelled him to do so.

"Please, go, run while I still can control my bloodlust.”

When he thought Clarke was about to leave, he heard shuffling noises and when he looked up, he saw that Marius rolled the sleeve of his right hand.

"Wha—what are you doing!?"

"Oh, shut up." Marius then pulled Orion's head closer to his offered hand and immediately, he could feel Orion's battered breathe fanning his skin. He could see how Orion was suffering. Something inside his mind could tell, the moment he met those dark orbs of the vampire when they first met, there was a boy screaming for help hidden somewhere. A boy who wanted to be freed of destiny written for him by his Mother, but couldn’t do a thing besides accepting it. All of those beneath his murderous nature.

Marius might not be one hundred percent sure, but even the smallest of chance counts, he thought.

He also knew offering his blood would make Orion know who he is right away but still, the same blood ran in their veins. They were family after all. He could not just look away and ignore his cousin's pain when he could somehow ease it, to hell with the consequences.

“Go on, Orion.”

“What if I can’t stop?! I-I don’t want—“

“You won’t. You may be a murderous git on the outside and all, but somehow I have this feeling you can’t hurt anyone, really, even if you try.”

Even in his weak state, Orion had the decency to look offended. “You made me sound weak.”

Marius almost snorted at that. “Oh, I did, didn’t I?” he mocked. Orion tried to open his mouth again to argue, but Marius quickly shoved his hand to him again irritably. “Save your breath, will you? We are all know that’s not what I meant. Just, _please,_ do what I say. Now. I don’t want you dying on me or killing anyone!”

“I might kill _you_.”

Marius smirked. “No, you won’t.”

Maybe it was the stone-hard confidence Marius showed with those words, or maybe, secretly, Orion was grateful for the boy. Either way, the vampire decided on what to do. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of Marius’ non-existent scent, before he sank his teeth.

Marius felt the tearing of his flesh. He hissed at the pain but endured it. He could hear Orion’s whimpers as he gulped up his blood.

As soon as Orion broke skin, he could tell the blood tasted just like how it smelt, but somehow, he felt something familiar on his tongue too. It was bittersweet, biting, and before he knew it, there were memories flashing behind his eyelids. They weren’t distinct or anywhere near as clear as seeing inside a pensive. If anything, it was more like watching a scene happening under heavy rainstorm, an almost complete blur, but Orion could recognize the overlapping voices enough that he couldn’t help but snapped his eyes open. He quickly removed his fangs from Marius’ skin and in an instant, silver eyes that belonged to a part of his bloodline met him.

“Y-you—”

Marius— _no, he is not Marius… What is his name again?_ … _Draco?—_ smiled. It reminded him of a certain woman from way back in the past.

“Come on, cousin. Close off this wound, will you?”

Orion’s eyes widened. Having his hunger gone, now he realized what had happened. His face turned deadly and when he was about to strangle the human, a huge wave of pain shot to his hand.

“AARGH!” He looked up to see his cousin staring at him, blood still seeping out of his punctured wound.

“What did you do?” he seethed.

“Oh, it’s a protection charm. Those that wish to hurt me will be shocked like an electric shock,” Marius— _Draco_ said easily.

“I take it. Narcissa’s protection?”

Ma— _bloody hell,_ Draco glared at him. “He is your aunt, cousin. And no, it’s not her protection. My mother’s protection is different. It hides me away from those who wishes to find me.”

Orion’s eyes widened at that before a realization came. “Did you know that I can just serve you to my mother any time I want now that I know who you are?” he said smugly.

Draco only sighed and took out his handkerchief, finally deciding that the ungrateful vampire wouldn’t help him. He then began tying it to his wrist before answering a “No, you won’t”.

Said ungrateful vampire’s mouth formed a thin line. “What makes you think that?” he asked again after a moment of intense contemplating.

Draco smiled, again. Now, though, it looked terrifying and Orion didn’t even know why. “Because we both know that you never wanted to walk the path she set out for you.”

Blue eyes widened, fear flashed in its depths.

“H—How… _You don’t know anything about me.”_

There wasn’t a second hesitation as the words danced out of the human’s mouth. “Oh, come on, _dear_ cousin. It pains me to know you think that low of me,” he said, voice dripping with fake hurt. “I don’t know _everything_ about you, true. I don’t know much either, but I do know I am not wrong about what I’ve told you before and that is why I think I should tell you I want to create a place for you to belong.” He then stood up before dusting himself. All the while, Orion stared at him as if he was giving him the biggest joke he had ever heard and so, the vampire laughed whole-heartedly.

“Really? Then, pray tell how are you going to do that when Potter himself said that you are just a _mere_ human?” he asked in between laugh, thinking it was just a bunch of crap. However, when he looked up at Draco to see his reaction, he was beyond shocked to see silver turned into black in a second.

Draco spun on his heels. His voice was cold when he said, “Oh, am I, really?” before he brushed his hand where he tied his handkerchief. Its tie loosed and as it fell, it only left pale skin. Flawless. No scar, nor any trace of bite mark to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are well appreciatedXD


	10. Reforging Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys it has been too long sorry for that, me and Authlene have been busy cuz of real life  
> to Authlene you have my undying gratitude for editing my story 
> 
> thank you all guys for leaving comments, kudos and OMG! 209 kudos!! 49 comments!! 30 bookmarks!! 113 subscriptions!!and 2865 hits!! i cant believe it!! thank you for loving this story as i did writing it, thank you a bunch you guys are super awesome
> 
> oooh and before any of you guys read this next chapter i just wanna apologize for the mistake i made at the previous chapter: MERLIN IS A WITCH not a wizard he is a female in this fanfic...it was my mistake and im truly sorry for that if Authlene had not pointed it out i would not have realized it..anyway enough of my rant onwards to the chapter hihi

It took the entirety of a whole minute for Orion to finally overcome the shock he felt because of the words the human in front of him uttered before. “Draco.” He inhaled a lungful of air and exhaled slowly or else he would have choked. " _What are you_?" asked the vampire, now wary of what might happen next or what this cousin of him would do later.

Draco only spared him a fleeting glance. "Is it not obvious of what I am?"

Orion knew the answer to that question when he caught those eyes of the human lost its iris and became a matching void of black before, the same moment he revealed his unmarked wrist. _Oh_ , how he knew. It was just… it was impossible—

As if reading his thoughts, Draco continued his thoughts by voicing it out. _"Impossible. Never was a man able to bear any magic! Even those born in a witch's bloodline!”_ he said, almost mockingly, with a grin adorning his face.

In this world, filled with creatures of the dark, light, magic and wonder; the eyes said everything about one’s identity. If vampires’ eyes glinted reddish when they were influenced by extreme bloodlust, werewolves irises changed shape and drowned in gold spark when they shifted to their natural form, and ordinary humans’ stare stayed innocent— _ignorant_ without magical bloodline in their veins when they encountered wonder; then, _witches_ were recognized when their eyes turn completely _black._ No irises, just a total darkness staring into space when they muttered spells or activated their magic.

The vampire twitched. He was clearly annoyed this human could read him that easily. And also, _that bloody grin!_ Annoying.

Orion was so close to standing up and go find a mop to help him wipe off Draco's smug grin, but the change in Draco’s expression a blink later stopped him. The human threw his gaze away, settling on the surface opposite him as if the bare wall provided him with more sense of comfort than Orion’s presence ever could. "I am the very first of my kind, the first male wizard ever to be born,” he said a beat later. “That was one of the reasons my mother disappeared. All of it was in order to protect me."

"You must be stupid then." Draco's eyebrows were raised at this and Orion continued, "Using your magic, I mean. Mother could find you easily that way." Orion tried to hide the worry in his voice, he really did. But the smile Draco gave him afterward told him he wasn't fooling anyone.

Draco knew he had to learn where his cousin's loyalties lie. When he offered Orion his blood in the first, it was his gut instinct more than anything, but he couldn’t always depend on that vague thing. He _had to_ be more than sure enough because his life was at stake here. So, he delved within Orion's memories when the vampire was busy sucking on his blood a while ago. The sudden use of quite some amount of magic made him dove deeper into Orion's memories accidentally. Draco could literally see now how much things Orion kept hidden in the depth of his mind, but as soon as he saw its contents—he wanted it to _stop_. Screaming noises, torture spells, and Bellatrix maniacal laughter filled his sense. It was so painful to witness all that that he couldn’t stop his body from shivering in fear for a moment.

_‘What kind of Mother was Bellatrix to be capable of doing that? She broke Orion on a whole different level at such a young age! No wonder Orion was who he is right now.’_

Scratch that. Just by those flashes, that was all he needed to know what kind of Mother was Bellatrix. He might not have seen the memory fully, but what he saw was enough to enrage him up until now. Up until _forever._

"Let her. I only used a small part of it anyway and I now fully realized that the barrier of Hogwarts is thick enough for it to be comfortable. Also, this school is full of witches. Though it no longer mattered, you and I both know that." Draco's voice was cold. _Colder,_ even, than the worst wrecked winter. " _And I will make her regret_."

There were things hidden beneath those words, Orion _knew_ , and when he managed to guess what those were, his breath caught in his throat. His skin was prickling with the dreaded sensation whenever his most hidden memories came to the surface—it _hurt_. It took all of his willpower to open his mouth and ask. His voice quivering. "Y-you knew?"

Draco pointed his forefinger to the bracelet on his wrist and Orion immediately hid it.

"You have no right to..." He could not speak all of a sudden so he opted to weakly glare at Draco.

"You don't have to hide anything from me Orion,” the human said. His voice soft. “I am sorry, I viewed your memories in order to determine whether I can trust you or not. I only saw bits and pieces of it, though, but that was more than enough."

Orion knew his cousin was honest when he said he was sorry, so he let out a puff of breath. “Alright. I saw parts of your memories anyway so we’re practically the same.”

Marius’ ears perked up at this. “I have read things about rare Vampires who can view memories when drinking blood, but I never thought you are one.” When he offered Orion his blood, Draco could only guess his cover would be blown up because the vampire would recognize the similarity of their blood, being family and all that. He definitely didn’t think his memories were being read too. 

Orion shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal, but vampireswas indeed rare. "Why did you come here anyway?" he asked.

"Hogwarts is the eye of the storm, the safest place that I can find. Besides, no one would think that the son of Narcissa will attend Hogwarts, would they?"

Orion huffed and placed his hand on his back, leaning against it. "Well, too bad your little peace here won't last for long. Ha! And Potter called you a human when clearly you are not."

Draco's eyebrow rose at this as he gently sat down next to Orion again. He shivered at the coldness of the floor. His cousin seemed to have noticed this. That was why the vampire let out a sigh before removing his school robes and flung it at him. Draco smiled at him cheekily after he wore it over his school robes.

"Continue, Orion.”

The vampire grunted at the bossiness of his cousin. "I have been given a mission."

Draco eyed the sleeve of Orion where his mark lie. Orion immediately hid it with his leg.

"Tell me."

"Tsk." _No, not now,_ Orion sighed. He stood up after that before turning around to face Draco and patted his head. "It's late, go to bed. Filch would catch you." Of course Draco wasn’t about to let go without any protest. The vampire stopped him before he could say anything, though. "Sit with me tomorrow at Slytherin. The least I could do is protect you inside of these walls. And don’t use any more of your magic. God-forbid if Mother found out about your power."

Draco's eyes widened. Bewilderment clear on his face before he gave his older cousin a good-natured grin. " _See_. You are not so bad after all," he teased.

Orion, realizing this, blushed and backed off. "Shut up." He offered his hand to Draco who took it happily while clutching Orion's robes to his chest.

"Ah. Wait."

Orion stopped and crossed his arms. He watched as his cousin did magic to banish traces of blood from his shirt before he turned his attention to Orion as if waiting for something. The vampire raised his eyebrow at him. Just by from experience and observation, he knew Draco was unpredictable.

"What?"

"Show me your wrist."

Orion looked at questioningly though with a pointed look from Draco, he reluctantly showed his arm marred by the Dark Mark. He looked away in embarrassment and in disgrace of it.

Draco cradled his wrist. He then casted a spell to find out what was the origin of the Dark Mark. As soon as he touched it, he drew his hands away at the extreme malice and darkness the Mark had.

Seeing the discomfort Draco had with his wrist, Orion pulled his hand back and covered his arm up with his shirt. “Enough of that. We could talk about this tomorrow,” he said before he took a peek at his cousin who had a shocked and confused expression on his face. As soon as he touched his shoulder, he noticed that he might’ve disturbed Draco’s line of thought.

“Let’s go.”

Without permission, Orion took Draco’s hand in his and tugged him down to the spiral steps of the Astronomy Tower.

….

Harry Potter could not sleep. His thoughts traveled back to what had happened earlier. As soon as he calmed down, he realized his mistake. He might’ve just lost his only clue to Draco Black’s whereabouts. But he also could not shake his thoughts away from the pained expression of Marius when he shouted at him. What could he do now? Despite Hermione’s attitude toward the Dark Witches, she was still his friend. He would do anything to protect her.

Harry closed his eyes to try to get some rest but Marius’ voice rang in his ears. Loud and clear.

_“You only protect those under your wing.”_

With that, Harry stood up from his bed. He changed his clothes and decided to go to the Astronomy Tower to clear up his thoughts and in hope that Marius would be there.

Wearing his cloak afterward, he quietly left the room full of snores from his roommates. He then began walking to the Astonomy’s direction. He knew it was almost midnight and the skies were dark, the moon was out of sight, but his eyesight was still as sharp as ever.

He reached Astronomy Tower without any problem. He was about to step on the stair when he heard footsteps coming down. Instinctively, he backed off and hid at one of the corners of the entrance to the spiral stairs. He kept his Invisibility Cloak close to his body. He wasn’t as small as before and his shoes might be seen.

The footsteps were getting closer and by his heightened hearing, Harry noticed that there were two of them. He thought that it was just some couple sneaking out during this time of the night just to be together. He almost rolled his eyes but he felt jealous at this, he hasn’t found his mate yet and war was brewing. He just hoped that nothing happened to her in the midst of this war and that she was not his enemy. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard a very familiar voice echoing in the silence of the night.

“Why did you stop?” He knew that blonde hair anywhere and he was stunned to see Marius and Lestrange together. Lestrange then started looking everywhere until his eyes settled on Harry’s hiding spot.

As still as he could, Harry held his breath.

“Nothing. I thought I smelled someone,” the vampire said after that.

When Harry noticed Marius wearing Lestrange’s school robes, he almost couldn’t stop a growl from his throat. It didn’t help him when Lestrange’s sharp eyes went to his direction once again. The Vampire was coming closer after that, but fortunately, he was tugged by Marius. This was then that Harry noticed they were holding hands. _Bloody hell._ Harry gritted his teeth, his fists clenched.

Marius then began rubbing one of his eyes, a sign of sleepiness. He tugged on Lestrange’s hand again. “Orion, let’s just go. I’m too tired.”

Harry heard Lestrange’s sigh before he crouched in front of Marius, giving him his back. Marius' eyes widened for a bit and a grin was beginning to form on his lips. Harry felt a sudden urge inside of him, fury and jealousy, even though he didn’t know why.

_‘That was supposed to be me_ , _that was supposed to be me_ —‘

Marius chuckled. “What are you doing?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

Lestrange rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, Princess. This must be embarrassing for you.” And when Lestrange was about to stand up, Marius wrapped his hands around his neck, grinning.

“Let’s go on then, my humble steed!”

“Why you!”

Marius settled his head comfortably on Lestrange’s nape and slowly, his breath was evening. They were gone then, Lestrange carefully walked away carrying Marius on his back, leaving Harry who was beyond shocked. The werewolf was confused at everything—his feelings, Lestrange’s sudden change in behavior. When he made sure that they were fully gone, his cloak fell at his feet, stunned to watch where the two stood a while ago.

_‘What just happened? Why are they together? Lestrange’s aura was different than before. He looked unlike I have never seen before. Marius even insulted him and Lestrange was not fazed by this._ ’

Then, a sudden thought struck him that brought him to his knees. It made his heart drop in a way he could not understand.

_“No.”_ His mind kept on telling him but his heart was shouting in denial. “They are not mates, are they?”

He looked lost and he didn’t know what to do. So with a heavy heart and a messed up mind, he went back to Gryffindor Tower. That was the first time in his whole life that he never got to sleep.

…..

It was already dark when a crack of Apparition was heard. In the vastness of the forest that Penelope remembered, she along with her mate Percy arrived. But when she opened her eyes, she was astounded. The scent of smoke was everywhere, wisps of fires were still evident, and the smoke was still thick.

She looked at Percy who was covering his nose against the strong assault of the smoke. She casted a spell to remove almost all of the smoke around them. The devastation was huge. The whole mountain was burned to the ground. She knew this was no ordinary fire.

“Percy.” She held out her hand and Percy took it. If her guess was right, the one who made this mess might still be nearby. That was why she had to still be on high alert.

“No one is here, Penny." Percy voiced out even after the strong scent of smoke prevented him from smelling properly. They both trekked through the ashes and when they reached the exact location where the cottage had been, there was nothing left already.

“We were too late.” She bowed her head looking at the dugout grave. Percy squeezed her hand in comfort and they Apparated away, not confirming who set the mountain on fire as she fully knows of Bellatrix's signature. Carnage was always left where she cast her magic.

……

Morning came and Marius stretched out his limbs. He sat up only to see Beau looking up from where he slept to wag his tail in his direction. He rubbed his eyes and remembered what occurred last night, still feeling woozy from the lack of blood. He stood up slowly, only then did he noticed that he hasn’t changed his clothes. He remembered after he climbed onto Orion’s back, he was nudged a few minutes so he could tell him the direction and the password of his Common room. Looking at Beau, Marius grinned and gestured for the dog to approach him.

“Good thing you did not attack Orion last night while I was asleep, Beau.”

The dog whimpered and tilted his head while Marius rolled his eyes. He ruffled Beau’s fur before he went to the bathroom and decided to take a bath.

His thoughts traveled back to his conversation with Harry in the Astronomy Tower. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes as the warm water washed upon his lithe form.

_‘The werewolves need me for the sake of the Blood Ward my mother created, in order to protect their race. I wonder will I become a caged animal, unable to step out, forever chained to the land only for the sake of protecting people whom I hold no responsibility to?’_

He looked down and he opened his eyes.

_‘The witches will never accept me, even if I were Narcissa’s son. It would be impossible for them to welcome me with open arms. They will fear my existence, a child not born as a part of their circle, by the way Hermione acted. It seems Aunt Andromeda has stayed biased all this time. If I go there, I will be a doll, only following my Aunt’s orders.’_ He released a heavy sigh and lastly he thought, _‘Aunt Bellatrix—well never mind her, all I need to concentrate on for now will be my cousin_ _. I need to brew Blood-Replenishing potions soon.’_

He swallowed as he remembered how the Dark Mark felt when he casted a spell on it. That was something inhumane. The feel of the magic was repulsive, _so dark_ , that he thought he was about to be sucked in.

_‘Just what the hell did the Dark Lord do with his own body? How was he able to attain such power?’_

He tried to remember the feel of the magic, but it made him shiver. His good mood in showering was disrupted, so he turned off the faucet took his bathrobe and towel. 

Beau looked back at him when he came out. He got dressed before he remembered Orion inviting him to the Slytherin table at the Great Hall. This made him giddy since he hadn’t tried eating at the Great Hall yet. Eating alone at the long table of Hufflepuff made him felt alone.

“Beau, a friend of mine is coming here to visit so be good okay?” he ruffled his dog’s fur after he was already fully clothed. Beau whined for a bit, but he seemed to have understood him. He was wearing a white shirt over it is his cloak and black pants. He then took Orion’s school robes that he forgot to give back before he went out.

Marius was quite early. The only ones awake were the early-birds. He opened the door to the Great Hall only to have heads snapped to his direction. This was the first time he had this much attention and he did not know what to do, so he looked down and headed to the Hufflepuff table.

He was almost there when he felt someone tug the collar of his shirt. When he looked up, he saw Orion’s blank expression. The great Hall was silent as if they were waiting for the next move of the Slytherin Prince. Even the Professors were wary and Snape was pretending not to look by sipping on his goblet. Albus Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. This indeed was an unusual event. The Slytherin Prince going out on his own to invite another person to their table where no other race but vampires sat.

“Where are you going?” Orion asked him in a bored tone, releasing his collar and Marius faced him properly. He was about to reply when Orion sighed then turned his back.

“Come on, Marius.”

There was teasing tone on the way Orion said his name that made Marius easily obliged him and so, he walked side-by-side with Orion to the Slytherin table. Some spluttered their drink. The Vampires were all gaping and eyes huge, meanwhile Orion ignored all of them.

Instead of walking to his usual seat at the Slytherin table, he approached where Theo and Blaise sat. They were also openly gaping at them while Marius grinned by Orion’s side. They sat right in front of them. Theo and Blaise looked at each other, stunned.

No Vampire ever spoke out to ask the question the other houses was begging to hear. This was a silent declaration to the whole of Slytherin House, publicly made by the Slytherin Prince.

_‘Marius Clarke is off limits.’_

Flint looked pale, along with some of the Vampires who tried to attack Marius. They all turned their eyes away and just continued eating their meal in silent.

“You should eat, Marius,” Orion voiced out while he took some food for himself on the table. Vampires can consume foods just like all of them but blood is their main source of sustenance.  

“What does this mean Orion?” Theo voiced out finally, snapping from his shock. “Are you placing your claim on Marius?”

Orion raised his eyebrow at Theo and replied boredly, “Why, Theo. I did not know you adore…” his eyes found Marius who was currently eating his food and allowing them to talk. “…Marius that much?” he again turned his head to Theo’s direction, causing a tick to form on Theo’s head.

“Good Morning.” A yawn was heard from beside Theo. When he and Blaise looked at who it was, they realized that it was Pansy who sat beside them as she always did in the past.

“Good Morning, Pansy,” Marius greeted back before he picked up his pumpkin juice and sipped on it. Blaise and Theo looked lost at the moment and Theo only snapped from it when he was nudged by Pansy.

"Theo, could you pass me the bread?"

Theo did this mechanically and stared pointedly at Marius as if asking for an answer, but Marius merely smiled at him. Blaise’s mouth was still agape and it looked like his brain had short circuited. That was until Orion’s voice snapped him back.

“So Blaise, would you care to introduce me to your mate?” His eyebrow was raised and Blaise looked at Theo then to Marius. Marius gave him a nod. So he took a breath before answering, “You won’t be going back on this, are you, Orion? Because I swear if you are plan—“ he was stopped by Orion’s voice.

“I have nothing planned, Blaise. Marius could attest to that.” He pointed his fork toward Marius who grinned back at Orion cheekily. “Brat,” he added, grin on his face as well.

Blaise felt elated at this. “I can’t risk him being banished from his pack, so I will let you meet him later.”

Orion gave a curt nod, but Theo kept on glaring at him. He released a sigh. "Fine. Blaise, I owe you an apology for the injury I have cost you a month ago.”

Blaise looked at him as if he was about to cry. Marius merely watched the scene silently with keen interest, since he did not want to butt in their reunion. By this, Theo’s eyes softened and he showed a small smile.

“Welcome back, Orion.”

Orion smiled at him and Pansy spoke as if in exhaustion. “Finally, all this drama is over. I am about to get tired of waiting.” She smirked, amused. They all continued their breakfast not caring about the stares of the other houses directed at them.

…..

Harry was lounging in his bed, his brain still could not register what he saw last night when a sudden opening of the door was heard. Ron grunted at the noise and pulled on his blanket to cover his ears. Harry sat up to see who it is, only to see Seamus panting.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, quirking his eyebrows and in a quick answer, his whole body froze. He could no longer hear Ron’s shout of disbelief as he shuffled to put on his clothes and in a hurry, heading to the Great Hall.

_‘Lestrange personally invited the human Clarke to eat with him at the_ _Slytherin table.’_

Seamus’ voice echoed in Harry’s head. His heart sank and an erratic beating of his heart was felt and heard by no one but him. He felt Ron’s hand tugging him, but all he could hear was the voice inside of his head shouting in denial.

_‘It’s a lie. There must be a reason. Why? Is it true? Are they mates?’_

They reached the Great Hall in minutes. Ron was panting along with him and he hesitated in opening the door to the Great Hall. He swallowed before bracing himself to open it. The first thing his eyes sought out was the tuff of platinum blonde hair. And there he saw Marius sitting next to Lestrange, in front of them is Nott, Zabini, and Parkinson.

“ _Bloody Hell_. Seamus was right.” Ron voiced next to Harry. He realized that standing there for too long might catch other’s attention so they went to seat at the Gryffindor table. Harry’s gaze never left the Slytherin table as soon as he sat down. Ron looked like he finally got over his shock and thus began scooping up food.

“When did this happen?” Hermione who sat next to Ron asked them suddenly.

The Weasley only shook his head while Harry just continued on staring.

 "Harry?", Hermione asked before she followed his gaze, only to see him staring at Marius and she gasped. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry. Are you...interested in him?"

Harry only shook his head. “No, not that.” He gave Hermione a small smile although she could still see the pain in those green eyes. She didn’t know why or when or how, or whether Harry realized it himself or not, but all she could conclude from what she saw was that Harry had some deep feelings for Marius to have such a hollow expression.

She sighed and decided to let the matter go. It was not her place to interfere after all. She took a look at Marius, the enigma that she could never figure out. Ever since their last interaction yesterday, she had been deep in thought of what Marius had said. In order to know the truth, she had been more than observant with the Ravenclaws yesterday. She interacted with Lovegood, asking her about her injuries and she noticed the eyes of her classmate Cho Chang following her every move.

Ginny was still avoiding her and kept to herself. She had to see what was happening inside the walls of Ravenclaw without anyone knowing. Some of the Dark Witches seem to have raised their eyebrows at her sudden care towards one of them and the Light Witches found her actions unusual. She decided to keep a closer and keen eye from now on and if she truly wanted to know the truth, she had to act normal in order not to spook anyone of them.

Harry suddenly stood up from his seat, causing Hermione and Ron looked at each other before looking at the werewolf. He looked like he wanted to be alone and so they allowed him to. When Harry went out of the Great Hall, Ron peeked at the Slytherin Table only to see Lestrange gone. He groaned and hoped that those two would not wound up meeting each other outside.

As soon as Harry was in the halls outside, he walked on the corridor headed to the Quidditch Pitch. He was stopped on his way there by a voice he recognized too well, though.

“As I thought, that was the scent last night.” Lestrange walked out of the alcove he was hiding from and his blue eyes met Harry’s green ones.

“What, the great Slytherin Prince loves hiding in alcoves now?” Harry said flatly.

Lestrange scoffed at this before he began walking away. This time, though, he was the one who was stopped by the other.

“What is Marius to you?”

They looked at each other in the eyes again, neither wanted to back off.

“What is it to you?” Lestrange smirked.

At this, his fangs flashing and the thought of Lestrange sinking his fangs into the pale neck of Marius made Harry’s blood boil. Without any warning, he pinned Lestrange to the wall. Lestrange seemed unfazed by this and he even looked like he was expecting it.

“Don’t you even dare hurting him in any way, Lestrange. Or else—”

“Or else what, Potter?” he tilted his head in question. They went on some strange staring contest once again before something clicked inside Lestrange’s mind. The vampire pushed Harry away. The werewolf, in turn, growled at him and was this close to sending an attack. It was a good thing Lestrange was fast enough to stop him with his remark.

“We are not mates.”

Harry’s eyes widened before he was completely frozen. It took him more time than he liked to admit before he finally snapped back to his senses.

“Stop fooling me, Lestrange. Why would you publicly declare that he is off-limits then?”

Lestrange rolled his eyes at this. _‘That Draco. Since when has he had Potter wrapped around his little finger like this?’_ he huffed in frustration.

“In doing that, Slytherin will not touch a hair on him unless they wish to answer to me," Lestrange explained as if talking to a child.

“Why protect him then?”

Lestrange had a huge grin by then. His blue eyes danced in amusement. “That is for me to know and you to never find out.”

After saying that, Lestrange walked back to the direction of the Great Hall.

…..

Orion reached the entrance to the Great Hall in record time and he saw his friends waiting for him there. Pansy kept on checking her nails, Theo was leaning on the wall while Blaise was nowhere to be found and as soon as Marius' eyes saw him, he had a grim look on his features that brought warning signs to his head.

“Where were you?”

Of course, there was no way he would say he confronted Potter.

“Nowhere. Where is Blaise anyway?” That seemed to have directed Marius’ attention away as he answered. Great.

“He and Neville will be meeting us in front of Hufflepuff.”

“Good thing you decided to come with us. Telling the story of the war will take too long and I can’t talk that long,” Theo said as they began their trek to the Hufflepuff common room.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys think of this chapter XD


	11. The First War: Vampire History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys early update for now, once again Authlene thank you very much for editing this chapterXD
> 
> to all of you guys who read, left kudos, commented, subscribed, viewed, bookmarked and other more thank you very much!!! hope you enjoy this chapter 
> 
> i dunno when my next update will be cuz real life is dragging me away but hopefully i will able to update again this month once again thank you guys!!

Marius opened the door to the Hufflepuff common room and gestured for all of them to follow him. As soon as Orion entered the room, his face was engulfed by a furry dog. Blaise began laughing at this along with Pansy. Neville tried to bite back his laugh, while Theo was mesmerized by the dog.

“Beau, you can’t assault Orion like that.” Marius sighed when the dog looked at him with puppy eyes before pulling him away from Orion, whose face was now covered in saliva.

“Marius, take your beast away from me,” the vampire said, wiping his face with a handkerchief as he was slobbered upon by the dog.

“Sorry, Orion.” And Theo kept on eyeing the dog as it bounced around Pansy to get her attention. The moment Theo had been waiting for has come as the dog noticed Neville, Neville remained meek as if he was showing no hostility on Beau’s territory. The dog seemed to have understood this and left Neville alone, opting to jump on Blaise instead and began licking his face.

“Your dog is huge Marius, what’s his name?” Pansy asked as she avoided the dog’s attempt to lick her face.

“Beau.”

“Cute.” She patted Beau’s head when the dog approached her, sitting by her feet as Pansy decided to sit at one of the couches of the common room.

“Why!?” Blaise screamed when he saw that Neville, Theo, Pansy and Marius were the only ones not slobbered in saliva. They all did not notice Orion headed to the bathroom when they all settled down on the couches.

“So, why are we all here for? Are we planning something?” Pansy asked as she folded her feet on one of the couches. Neville looked lost when Blaise went to the bathroom as well and he did not know where to sit. Pansy noticed this and gestured for him to sit next to her. Neville swallowed and the smile that Pansy gave him was implying that he was not allowed to refuse. So he sat next to her, what he did not expect was when Pansy laid her head on his shoulder. He instantly stiffened at this and looked to Marius for help but he was not in the room. The human went to fetch towels for Orion and Blaise. He then turned his head to Theo but even he was not looking at him. Rather, he was absorbed in mesmerism by the dog that was now sitting below Pansy’s feet near the couch he was sitting on.

“So, Neville.” Pansy began.

Neville stuttered something that sounds like “U—uh, yes?”.

“Did Blaisey mark you already?”

This made Neville stiffen even more. His face was beet red. A marking was a very private and intimate thing that he definitely did not prepare to be asked.

“Hmm… judging by your reaction, not yet, huh?” She shifted her head so her breath tickled Neville’s neck, making him more nervous than he already was. Oh, how much he wanted to be away from her.

“AH!” Blaise’s voice suddenly echoed through the whole room. Within seconds, he was pulling Neville away from Pansy. “Pansy! I am the only one who is allowed to do that to Nev! Go to Orion or something.” He shoved the woman away before welcoming himself on the seat between Pansy and Neville.

Pansy pouted at him. “Tsk! I don’t want to. Orion is not fun at all. That person is more like a walking statue than anything. At least with Neville here, I get to see interesting expressions.” She grinned wickedly at the end of her sentence which forced Blaise to drag Neville and go sit somewhere else.

“Let’s sit far away from her, okay, Nev?” He pulled Neville to the seat across from Pansy, the one beside Theo who was still staring at the dog.

“Don’t mind Pansy, Longbottom.” Orion’s blank voice almost made Neville jumped and significantly made him even more nervous than before. He looked behind him to see blue eyes watching him. “She just loves spiking reaction from people.”

Orion sat down at one of the single seater couches and settled himself comfortably. Marius sat at the seat next to Pansy and immediately Pansy let her head fall to Marius’ lap. Neville watched the reaction of Orion from this and he noticed that he did not flinch at all. Gaining the courage to ask, he directed his question to Orion. “Uhm, aren’t you mates?”

Orion’s eyebrows rose at this and Neville flinched, but Blaise holding his hand was all the support he needed.

“My, Longbottom. You have gotten courageous than the last time I saw you.”

Neville felt scared, but Blaise just smiled at him as if proud. A pointed look from Marius and Orion released another sigh. "That was a compliment, Longbottom. You don't have to fear me, I have no intention of losing Blaise, nor anyone’s friendship right now. And to answer your question, _no_. I and that brat there are not mates.”

Neville nodded his head and Theo then continued. “Now, Pansy, for the question you asked a while ago. Marius wanted to know the beginning of the war from our side.”

“Ah, that’d be boring. Wake me up when it’s done.” And Pansy settled herself comfortably, completely prepared to just right there. Marius smiled at this. He began stroking Pansy’s hair.

“Well then, let us begin.” Theo voiced out and Marius listened carefully. “There had been four races, the ordinary humans who now live in the Muggle world, the witches who are now separated by their kind, the werewolves who have rogues against them, and lastly the vampires who are disunited.” Theo swallowed then continued as he settled comfortably into his seat. "In the past, there had only been a coven of vampires, a circle of witches, and a pack of werewolves. Since _I am_ a vampire, I will stick to my race or maybe perhaps Neville here would gladly tell you his race history.” He gestured to Neville who timidly smiled as he replied.

“I think Harry should be the one to tell you about it. He knows it better than I.”

Marius huffed at this. He was still mad at Harry for shouting at him and he still felt a bit hurt by it. “I will deal with that later. Please continue, Theo.”

Theo nodded. “There was only one family that leads the vampires and that was the Malfoy Family. They have headed our race since they are Slytherin's descendants. They inherited the blood and power of the First Vampire and the title of Elder has always been passed through their generations.”

"Where are they now?" Marius asked. If there was one family that could've controlled the vampires, then why was there even a war?

“Well, a tragedy broke out within the Malfoy family. Lucius, the current head, brought with him a vampire. He was rumored to have been the heir since Lucius has not found his mate at that time, but most of those who followed the old ways did not approve of this.

“Apparently, the vampire Lucius brought wanted to become the Elder next in line. Without any of them knowing, he began to gather followers among our race. Now, these things happened way before we were born, but all I heard from my parents is that this vampire planned the slaughter all of the Malfoy Family, leaving no one behind. Women, children, the elderly—no one was left alive. Thus he became the Dark Lord.”

Marius' eyes widened and even Neville looked horrified at this. Theo had a somber expression on his face as he spoke about this, Blaise tried to calm Neville and Orion's eyes darkened.

“When Lucius learned of this, he tried to fight back. But the sudden surprise attack left him defenseless. The Families that were taken and controlled were: the Carrows, Lestranges, Rosiers, Rowles, and Yaxleys. It is said that even if the Dark Lord took over as the Elder, he could not fully control all of the other older families of vampires due to the fact that Lucius did not pass onto him the mark and power of being the Elder of the vampire race.” Theo as he continued on as if a broken record. This was the darkest days of their races’ history and when he heard about it, he could not stop the rage he felt. Then the sorrow and pain.

“The only Vampire Families who were not affected were the Averys, Bulstrodes, Fawleys, Notts, Parkinsons, Travers, and Dumbledores. But none of them were left unscathed as well when they tried to fight back. They were all almost killed and our bloodlines almost lost forever. After losing our Elder and many of our families, we decided to remain neutral and not to fight against him.”

"But why wouldn't you?" Marius asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"It is like a sire bond, Marius. We cannot go to war and fight to death without any reason at all. Without an Elder to lead us, we couldn’t function easily. Just like how a pack cannot function without an Alpha, we cannot do it as well. Yes, we fear the Dark Lord, but above all our bloodline is not allowed to be lost. Without our bloodlines, the vampires born or bitten will have no leader and they will all wasted away following no order. They will be killed and punished and be brought to Azkaban. Worse, they’d be turned to follow the Dark Lord’s rule. Only a few of us remain now as most of the others were conquered by the Dark Lord.”

"So you are telling me that the Dark Lord is not a True Elder?"

Theo nodded. His eyes looking at Marius pointedly before he peeked at Orion who remained quiet the whole time. "Yes, and because of that, he cannot force nor order any Vampires other than those who are marked by him to join him in his cause."

"Tsk! No wonder that bastard needs to place the Dark Mark on his followers."

Orion's fangs flashed, his eyes dangerously turning red. Marius turned a worried glance at him and he calmed himself by breathing.

"Wait, you didn't know?” Theo asked Orion and he shook his head. “To us who were raised in the coven temporary headed by Dumbledore, we were taught that. Oh, and us who were left loyal to the bloodline has chosen Dumbledore as our temporary Elder since he is closest to Lucius in the past. That is why we have always been careful not to just let other mar our skin, especially any suspicious vampires.”

“Wait. Does this mean Lucius is alive?” Marius looked up at Theo.

Orion was the one who continued. “Lucius Malfoy is now dead. Along with all those who bear the Malfoy blood no matter how little the blood runs in their veins. Because the one who carries the blood of the Malfoy could retain control of those marked by the Dark Lord. The Mark and the Power of an Elder are passed through blood and by the mark given by the previous Elder. He made sure that everything about the Malfoys was wiped out in our history.”

“Why would he have to erase the whole history of the Malfoy Family?”

“In order to ensure that none of his new followers would follow the old ways and try to revive it. Maybe even try searching for any long-lost blood of the Malfoy Family,” Orion said. Even he almost did not know of the Malfoy Family, but he once saw it in one of the books in the Lestrange vaults about the Malfoy Family before his mother burned it all.

 "How sure are you?" Theo asked, curious. No one knew of what happened to the last Elder of Vampires.

"Because I saw the Malfoy Family Tree. His date of birth and death was written there before the Dark Lord asked my Mother to burn the Malfoy Family tree in the old Malfoy Manor.”

All of their eyes widened at this, unbelieving.

"Have you seen anything, anyone, alive at all?”

Orion shook his head in apology. “The Dark Lord got them all. Every single one of the Malfoys.”

Theo's head dropped to his hands. Blaise noticed this and so he was the one to continue. “Dumbledore will not make a move. The werewolves will not receive help from our coven—what remains of it: The Order of the Phoenix—this time.”

Marius’ ears perked up at this.

“Wait. What do you mean by that? _This time_?”

“Yes. The previous Elder, Lucius, ordered Dumbledore to assist the werewolves in the First Mystic War and that was the reason why we followed. But now, almost all of the Order is scattered and fled this country. Only the Notts and Parkinsons are left by Dumbledore’s side.” Blaise did his best to explain it to Marius who was a very inquisitive person.

“How are you not a part of the Order nor the coven of the Malfoy’s, Blaise? The Zabini seemed like an old Family to me.”

Blaise sighed at this and he explained. “Our Family is not like the Notts or Parkinsons or Bullstrodes. Our ancestors were bitten, not born, meaning the first Vampire in our Family was bitten but all those who followed are now born vamps. We rooted from the Notts, so we are sired to them. We follow their orders only if they use the rule of blood against us. That is why the bloodlines are very important. Because if you get to control any of the families that Theo said a while ago, you get to control the Families or those that are bitten by them and those born from those bitten ones.”

Marius was in deep thought. No wonder the Dark Lord targeted the bloodlines and by killing the family that holds the Main Bloodline of the vampires, it would be easier for him to just mark them all and take the lead.

“Can’t we just place a new Elder?”

Theo shook his head and looked up. “We cannot, Marius. That would mean killing off all of the previous bloodlines in order to make way for the new one. It is to prevent a coup d’ Etat and with our numbers, we cannot sacrifice and fight the Dark Lord at the same time.”

Marius bit his lip. The Werewolves were not the only ones who suffered in the war. Even the vampires suffered as much and without a leader to lead them, they couldn’t move as a unit. The Vampires would soon break the old ways and they would be forced to bow down to the Dark Lord as he was a strong leader and, like the strong autumn wind, the Dark Lord easily diminished the strong and powerful vampire race to dust.

Orion began scratching his wrist where his mark lie. He had felt so utterly stupid, allowing himself to be marked. Now his only hope of being released from the madman was already dead, not a single one of them alive. Marius seemed to have noticed this and woke Pansy up from her nap. He nudged Pansy carefully and the vampire awoke easily.

“What, is the story done?” She stretched herself like a cat and sat up while rubbing her eyes. Beau acted like a blanket on her feet and she grinned.

“Orion.” Marius’ voiced echoed through the silence and Orion’s sharp eyes met his. Just by one look alone, the vampire knew what Marius was talking about. He grunted and looked away, but that only made things worse as he felt the eyes of all of them on him.

“Alright. Alright!” He took off his robes and began removing the button of his shirt by his left wrist. Just by this Theo’s eyes widened, he looked at Orion as if he was lying.

“You did not…” Theo faltered.

When Orion showed it to them, Blaise closed his eyes, Neville gasped, Pansy covered her mouth and Theo looked away. Orion memorized their expressions before releasing a heavy sigh. “I had no choice. Being born as the son of Rodolphus and Bellatrix, my fate had already been decided.”

Orion knew he was going to be left behind by his friends. Despite them being on different sides of the war, he truly did acknowledge them as his friends. He would understand if they all leave, but he was suddenly engulfed by Pansy’s warmth and scent that he felt tears beginning to form in his eyes. Theo held his hand, Blaise gave a pat on his shoulder, while Neville gave him a supporting smile.

“How could any of you stand touching me?” His voice broke and tears fell from his eyes. His icy cobalt eyes turned alike the sea when it was about to reach its calm after the storm.

“Orion. We did not care. We never did. Despite being a Lestrange, to us, you are only Orion. Our friend, our most irreplaceable Orion.”

Sobs were heard as Pansy cried alongside Orion who cried silently. Her head snuggled on his shoulder, Theo held his hand tighter and Blaise flung his hand on his shoulder patting his back and drawing circles to calm him down.

Neville watched as the strong-faced Slytherin, the one most feared by the whole school, allowed to be himself. He took a peek at Marius who was looking at the scene with a serene look. He noticed that when Orion lifted up his face, his eye met with Marius before he mouthed a thank you at him.

The Gryffindor stared at the blonde as he smiled whole-heartedly. He cannot help but look up to him as if he was the moon that soothed and eased the souls and silently, without knowing, lighting up the darkness within people’s hearts with his illuminating light.

Despite seeing his friends happy, Marius knew everything was far from over. This was just the beginning of their journey. In order to free the vampires from the mark that bound them, they needed to find someone who could possibly break the spell of the Dark Lord since searching for a person who bears the blood of the Malfoys is no longer an option. He released a heavy sigh. It looked like he had to gather up more information.

_‘Who really is the Dark Lord? Where did he come from? Most importantly, how is he able to use magic like the binding he used on the Dark Mark? Is it possible that he is like me?’_ With these thoughts in mind, he decided to do everything in his power to find out.

…………

Bellatrix Lestrange walked through a long and wide hallway. Her shoes clicking was heard echoing. The hallway was dark and the only lights were the torches placed there. They flickered along the wind as she walked gracefully.

Finally reaching the end of the hallway, she was then faced with a huge wooden door. With a sudden wave of her hand, the double door opened to reveal a wide room. The lights flickered and threatened to be distinguished when the wind she brought in came through the door.

In the middle of the room, at the farthest wall, was a child. Half of his body encased in what looked like ice. It sparkled as the light touches it. It looked like sapphire. The boy was stuck in the middle of it. Bellatrix approached him carefully as if afraid to wake the boy. The boy had black hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants along with his emerald robes.

Bellatrix kneeled in front of the crystal. Her eyes never leaving the floor as she spoke in a loud and clear voice.

“Narcissa Black is finally dead. The plan to kill Albus Dumbledore is underway.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, the closed eyelids of the boy suddenly opened. Purple eyes stared down at her. “Ah, Bella. How very nice of you to visit me. It has been too long.”

The tone was sarcastic and Bella showed no fear as she stared back at her Lord, sealed by the blood of her enemies and her sister’s magic.

“My Lord, forgive me. I have been searching far for allies that will be loyal to your cause.”

T “Pray tell who is it?”

“Fenrir Greyback.” Her reply was curt and short.

“Ah, the banished Heir of Werewolves.” A chuckle echoed throughout the whole room. “Yes indeed, they will be useful. You did good, my Bella. I did the right choice by choosing you.”

Bellatrix marveled at this and she smiled wickedly. “There is something else, My Lord.”

“Oh, this seems to be a good news. Go on, Bella.” His voice was in glee and Bellatrix could not have been much happier.

“My sister Narcissa has a child.”

The smile that her Lord had was gone in an instant. “Bella, you already have Andromeda’s daughter as your toy. Narcissa’s child would be a hindrance to our plans.” His voice was cold, but Bellatrix remained sure that this news would please her Lord.

“No, my Lord. He could give you an Heir you truly desire, a power—“ She was interrupted by her Lord’s interested voice.

“ _He_?”

“Yes, my Lord. A male witch. Powerful in his own right. With him by your side, no one would ever dare stand in your way,” she said smugly.

“How sure are you that he is who you think he is?”

Bellatrix opened her mind and looked straight at those purple eyes that were starting to turn black. She allowed him to view her own memories of what she saw and felt that day. The magic that flowed to her from her Lord was too powerful that she thought she was going to suffocate, but her Lord seemed to realize this and released her from the spell that held her.

“I want him, Bella. I give you my permission to do whatever it takes and bring him to me. Alive.” His voice was commanding.

Bellatrix bowed her head.

“When the werewolves will finally find him, he is as good as ours. Narcissa’s remains will be put to use after all. Until then my Lord, please rest. Until the day I finally have the heads of the Potters, you will truly be free.” She stood up and looked back at her Lord, his eyes drooping and the seal beginning to take its toll.

“Bella, I give you free reign to use one of my objects as you wish. But remember never to lose them.” His eyes were now closed but the smile on his angelic face was not removed as he slept in peace.

“Yes, My Lord. Leave everything to me.”

With that final words, she turned her back, leaving the room. The doors closed shut and all the protective ward all in place. Her walk back to her quarters was much more interesting now. She was given reign to use one of those objects as she wishes and with those, she can use the spell she had been dying to use.

She reached the confines of her spell and torture room. She frowned when she realized she was not alone. Her husband was present along with Fenrir Greyback. Both were sitting to each of her couch opposite to each other, both eyes snapped to her.

“How is our Lord, Bella?”

She decided to conjure tea for all three of them and with a swish of her hand, they were all placed on the coffee table. “Our Lord is fine, dear.”

“Is the seal still attached?” Fenrir spoke, his voice rough and serious. He sat rigidly and remained alerted.

“Yes, but no worries. Hogwarts will soon fall. My child will assure of that.”

Fenrir then stood up to leave, but Bellatrix’s voice stopped him from fully stepping out. “Are you not joining the party when we attack? The Heir of James Potter is currently attending Hogwarts.”

They all heard a twisting of the doorknob and the door creaking as if about to split in two.

“No. That pup is weak. I would rather have his Father all to myself.”

“Suit yourself then,” Rodolphus spoke and with that, Fenrir left the room, leaving Bella with her husband.

“How is everything?”

“Oh, don’t worry, dear. Everything is swimming well, all according to our Lord’s and my plans.”  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys thinkXDthanks!


	12. Smidge of Normalcy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys sorry i was late in updating, exam took up my time this month...hoping im not late for a bit for the month of love to post this chapter hahah.....hopefully you guys will love this..this is by far the longest chapter i have written i think haha
> 
> I dedicate this chapter to Authlene, thank you very much for everything XD
> 
> to all you guys who left kudos, bookmarked, commented, read and subscribed this story thank you very very much, now onwards to the story!XD

 

Marius woke up badly that day. His brain was muddled with information that he got from the Vampires. He stretched like a cat before he stared at Beau who was now staring back at him from his side of the bed.

“Good morning, Beau.” He ruffled the dog’s fur and was met with the dog’s saliva on his face. “Urgh, really?” He grinned before ruffling the dog’s fur more than ever.

He stood up from his bed and went to the bathroom. He felt a bit tired due to the lack of blood since Orion drank from him again last night. He splashed water on his face. It easily woke him up easily, and when he saw himself in the mirror, he was looking a lot like a panda than ever. He then listed off ingredients of potions he needed to replenish his energy in his head and took note that he needed to meet up with Neville. Since he and Professor Sprout seem to get along so well, he might be able to ask him to sneak some of the ingredients for him.

He lethargically went out of his room, only to see Theo and Orion playing against each other in chess. Pansy was there too as she opened up her arms to Beau who happily rubbed his face onto her. Marius smiled at this. It felt good to see them in his Common Room filling up the empty spaces of Hufflepuff.

“Good morning, Marius.” Pansy approached him and handed him his bag while Blaise was being licked to the ground by Beau as Pansy commanded. Theo and Orion stood up already and was waiting for them by the door. As soon as they saw Marius ready, they then began to head out.

“Did you guys just seriously left me with the beast?” Blaise said in a whiny tone as he caught up to them.

Pansy ignored him and opted to yawn. Orion ignored him as well as he continued walking. Marius shook his head at the duo’s antics while Theo handed Blaise his handkerchief to wipe off some of Beau’s saliva from his face.

They soon reached the Slytherin Table and as always, no one sat at the usual seat of Orion and the others; a huge space was left open for them. Orion took his seat. Next to him was Marius and in front of them sat Theo, Blaise, and Pansy.

…..

At the Gryffindor table, a certain green eyed werewolf was staring at the group skeptically, especially to one platinum-haired human who seemed oblivious to the constant staring of said werewolf.

Ron, who sat in front of the pitiful, very visibly distressed alpha, released a deep sigh at the state of his best friend. Hermione decided not to sit with them for a while as she was doing her own investigation on Ravenclaw. Ron continued to eat. It didn’t last long though because oh-so-soon, he was startled along with their other seatmates when Harry’s fork was clanged strongly on his plate, making it break in two, his food scattered about. He swallowed at the sight but before he could ask or even open his mouth, he noticed the twitching of Harry’s eye so he then opted to just look behind him to see the scene that caused such reaction out of the alpha.

Marius was facing Lestrange, his hair mussed up and unkempt. The Vampire beside Marius was currently fixing his tie, their distance too close for Harry’s comfort. He tightened his grip on whatever he was holding, not caring what happened to it. He was controlling his expression to not make it obvious that he was staring at them.

But then Lestrange did something that made Harry’s blood boil again. He ruffled up Marius’ platinum hair in an attempt to make them a bit presentable. As a reaction, the human had a very annoyed expression on his face, but the fondness still seeped out of his eyes. That, in reply, earned him a look of pure adoration in Lestrange’s eyes as they joked around.

Harry was a bit too late to avoid a hand that came into contact with his shoulder to abruptly shake him. He was, at least, very quick to send a heated glare to the offending hand’s owner.

“Woah there, mate. Chill.” Ron reflexively held both of his hands up in surrender and that was then that Harry realized he bared his fangs at the other werewolf.

Annoyed, Harry tsked at him before retracting his teeth back to normalcy. “What is it Ron?” he almost snapped. It sounded more like a tired sigh at the end, though.

Ron scratched his neck and then pointed to the fork at Harry’s hand.

Harry blinked. And blinked some more. “Oh,” he deadpanned. “Thank you, mate.” He then released the fork that no longer looked like its usual form. It was contorted in an inhumanly possible way that Harry was sure he could not fix. “Hm. I didn’t realize they have such fragile utensils here,” he tried to reason out, but Ron snorted.

“Yeah, if Bronze is a wire that is.”

Harry ignored that in favor of turning his gaze back at where Marius sat. But then his eyebrow rose which in turn made Ron, who was observing his best friend in case he cracked the table in anger or something, became suspicious too.

“Wat ish it?” the werewolf mumbled, his mouth full.

Harry merely tilted his head towards Marius’ direction where two witches were on their way towards them.

…..

“Clarke.”

A voice Marius recognized as Ginny Weasley addressed him. He turned to his left where he could see the witch standing there, very much not alone, if the Luna Lovegood who was looking skeptically at him was anything to go by.

“What can we do to the Witches who braved their way to the Slytherin Table?" Blaise commented teasingly which earned him a jab in the ribs by Theo who nodded at the two females. Blaise glared at him in retaliation.

Marius ignored the duo. He instead put full attention on their guests. “Weasley, Lovegood. Is there anything I can do for you two?”

Luna stared at Ginny as if asking her the exact same question. It took the other witch several long sighs before she finally muttered, “Wanna go to classes with us?”

Marius blinked. And blinked. It was another two blinks before he felt a smile creeping up his lips.

“Gladly,” he replied.

Ginny’s lips didn’t immediately curve upwards at the answer, but the slight twitch at the corner was as close as she could be to a smile at the moment. She then darted her eyes towards Orion who was playing with his food, faking uninterested gesture which kind of failed horribly.

“Lestrange.” She called.

The vampire’s eyes easily found Ginny’s and one eyebrow raised to her direction.

“Just be sure to return him, no hexes attached.”

He gave a lazy grin at the other and Ginny seemed to have understood the hidden meaning of his words. She grinned back in reply.

….

The food that Ron was chewing openly flowed from his mouth as he saw his sister interacted with Lestrange and grinned at each other—no hostilities transpired. All those who saw this scene was openly gaping as well but was soon scrambled away when the young Lestrange sneered at them.

Ron was shocked beyond anything that he froze on spot. His mind went blank. His best friend’s eyes, though, twitched again when he saw Lovegood pulled Marius by the hand. Even from where he sat, Harry could tell just how happy the human is and that alone made him felt a sudden force constricting his throat.

His stomach also felt like it fell somewhere as he stared at his food blankly as if he no longer wanted to consume any of it. Well, now that his eyes were concentrated at his plate, he belatedly realized that it was cracked in two and his food scattered everywhere.

The other werewolves, having an inkling to what he was feeling, decided that their esteemed leader needs to figure this out on his own as they all shook their heads at his obliviousness. They even noticed that Harry did not budge at all when a half of the ever crazy Weasley twins made his way over to him. It seemed like Fred Weasley, along with the whole Gryffindor House, had noticed their Alpha’s infatuation on the human.

When Harry didn’t even shift when he stopped beside him, Fred let out a sigh before he clamped a hand on the Alpha’s shoulder.

Harry was so shocked he almost toppled over. Good thing it was an _almost._

“Fred?” he asked a bit warily after he came back to his senses.

Fred smiled and Harry stood up to give him a hug since Ron was indisposed at the moment. The sudden eruption of cheers and wolves creating a circle around Fred was not going unnoticed by the Vampires as well.

Fred then sat next to Harry and they began to chat. The older Weasley, of course, didn't miss the destruction that Harry brought to his meal, fork, and plate although he didn't comment as much on it, which Harry felt grateful for.

“Where is George?” He asked instead, mood lighting up a bit.

“Up at the Headmaster’s talking. I went here because I wanted to see whether the rumors I had been hearing these days were true or not, only to find out that they really are,” Fred said with a prominent grin attached on his face.

Harry’s face painted his feelings so perfectly it was almost impressing to see just how lost he was. “What rumors?”

Fred looked behind Harry to Seamus who was sitting there and nodding his head which made Fred chuckle.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. So, Harry, tell me about this Marius."

With an evil glint in his eyes that Harry did not seem to realize, Fred listened smugly as Harry obliviously began telling him all about Marius.

…….

 “I see. Well, I think you should apologize, Harry,” Fred stated after he heard the entirety of Harry’s story which earned him a confused look.

“What? Why? He needs to apologize to Hermione.”

Fred shook his head. “Harry, you have to admit. Yes, he shouted at Hermione, but is Mione even mad at him?”

The young alpha shook his head.

“Then that meant Hermione took Marius’ words seriously and she is now opening her eyes to the truth.”

“But—”

Fred shook his head slowly to let Harry see how certain he is. “No buts, Harry. Why don’t you try apologizing to him? And maybe that way, you two can be friends again.”

That idea seemed to have changed Harry’s mind because not so long after that, he nodded just as slow. As if the movement of his head would make it much easier to accept the advice. Fred only smiled to himself at the sight as he stood up and left Harry to do what he needed to do.

As he passed the rows of Gryffindor, though, he clicked his tongue. “Ron, snap out of it will you!” he said as he hit the back of his brother’s head, causing the younger to choke.

….

During their Potions class—the only class he had with Marius, Harry’s head was filled with questions about how to approach the human so he could finally apologize for what he said last time. They were going to brew a new potion since the Polyjuice Potion needed more time before putting in the next ingredient. Harry was planning to be his partner but his chance was taken away when Marius sat next to Longbottom, apparently still ignoring his very existence. That was why Harry was then stuck with his usual partner Ron. Not that he hated it but more so than the other days, Ron’s brain seemed to have truly melted as he was still in shock of what happened over breakfast.

“Mr. Weasley, are you mocking me?” Professor Snape’s booming voice made Ron snap out of his trance at the same time he toppled over to the floor due to his surprise. The whole class burst into laughter and the Professor looked like he was preparing something devious for Ron.

“Silence.” One word made them all stop as Harry helped Ron to his seat. “Now since Mr. Weasley clearly is in no condition to enter my class, he is dismissed—" It sounded like music to their ears at some point but Harry could almost taste the "but" there. So, after a pause, he wasn't surprised Professor Snape's glare was back on his partner again. "Only to return after his last class to scrub the cauldrons. So, class, feel free to... how do you say this?" he crossed his arms and placed a hand on his lips as if thinking. "Hm, _mess up_?”

Professor Snape then pulled on the linen that covered the blackboard where the potion that they were going to brew was written. Harry sighed as he turned around to his best friend who looked white as a paper.

“He is going to kill me. I still haven’t written our essay for Vampire Studies and I need to pass them by tomorrow.”

Harry clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I will try and help you, mate." He comforted the other and then they began to try and make the potion that Snape told them to do.

Harry and Ron were almost finished at their somewhat potion when a certain blond caught his attention. He saw how Marius was working with Neville so easily as if they had done it a thousand times. Or maybe they have. He saw how they moved in sync while having small chats along the way.

But what made Harry's heart sink once again was when Marius asked Neville to lean in for a bit and he whispered something in Neville's ear that made the werewolf's eyes sparkle with glee. That caused him to pour the whole bottle of the ingredient he was holding to the cauldron without thinking.

“Harry!” Ron shouted as he stopped Harry’s hand from continually pouring the potion. Harry, slapped awake from his trance, looked at their potion that turned a bright green so far away from its supposed color: dark purple.

The young alpha sighed, once again not knowing why he was feeling so distracted by that human for quite some time already. Snape did not miss his opportunity because as soon as Harry and Ron made a mistake, he suddenly came out of his hole and reprimanded them.

Harry let out another sigh, completely ignoring his professor before he pondered for a moment just how many sighs he had already done in such a short span of time. He didn't dwell on the thought for long enough as it was soon filled again with things he would rather forget about but for the life of him, he couldn't do so. For example, _what did Marius say to Neville that he had to whisper it?_ Or, _what would his hand feel if Harry were to hold it_? _What would Marius’ expression had it been Harry who was fixing his tie and not Orion?_

The werewolf clutched his eyes as they exited Potions, his head was now hurting with thoughts he could not explain. He was feeling things he never thought he could feel and it surely pissed him off.

When he kind of finally got some hope that the torture of those unexplained feelings would stop, he again saw another scene that made his entire body started shaking.

He was walking along the corridors outside of Hogwarts when he saw it, a scene that he was sure will haunt his mind even after he found sleep.

Outside, at one of the benches, there sat Marius. His feet taking most of the bench, a book opened on his lap. The wind blew softly on his blonde hair and the way he softly closed his eyes then tilted his head upward slightly made Harry’s breath hitch. He saw the expanse of his pale neck, unmarred, and unconsciously he released a breathy sigh as he watched his thick eyelashes fan at his cheek, his face graced with a soft almost fond smile.

Harry had that image stuck in his head, but something else marred that memory. As he looked at the scene properly, he saw that just by the grass on the ground sat Theodore Nott. His back leaning on the bench near the waist of Marius. Even though he seemed to be concentrated on his reading, he still ruined the perfect image that now Harry memorized in his brain.

Marius looked so peaceful that Harry wondered why it made him painful instead. But, a moment later, Marius expression suddenly changed to confusion and Harry almost whined at the sudden change. That was before he realized that Nott began to talk.

The next thing Harry knew was Marius laughing and Nott looked like he was about to ripen as a tomato as he looked down. When Marius stopped, he placed his hand on Nott’s shoulder and said some words that made the Vampire grin back at the human. Harry’s eyes twitched. He was itching to know what happened. All of a sudden, Marius began to shuffle on his bag and Nott then angled his body so he was looking at Marius, his arm rested on the bench near Marius’ thigh.

Marius looked back at Nott and asked him something which the Vampire shook his head. He then held his hand out to Nott, only to earn a confused expression from the other and an even more curious look from Harry. He said something and the Vampire obliged to it, he was then tracing something on Nott’s hand. Harry was gritting his teeth at the sight. That, whatever that was, certainly snapped something inside the werewolf.

_‘Mine,’_ he almost growled. 

The two of them were the only ones who seem to understand whatever that was, but then Nott took Marius’ hand in return before he began to trace something on it which made the human giggled, eyes twinkling with amusement and teasing.

The werewolf was only a step away from truly growling this time, but it was great he reacted fast enough. Before he was seen by Nott when his eyes suddenly gazed over his direction, Harry hid behind a column. He made his presence as undetectable as possible as he calmed his breathing and heart rate. Though, he still could not shake off the sinking feeling from his system. His heart constricted in a way he could not comprehend. His stomach in knots once again and he did not know what to do.

Harry wanted to step right in front of Nott and pull Marius away from him, to scream that Marius belonged to him. He wanted to rush forward and make those silver eyes full of mystery look at him—only him. The feeling of wanting to possess every bit of Marius scared even Harry himself, as it was something he had never felt before. Even when he dated Cho Chang for a while in the past, he never felt this strong of a feeling.

“Damn it. What is wrong with me?” Harry asked no one in particular as he left the scene. A bit of blood trickling from his lip when he bit it to stop himself from pulling Marius away from Nott. It healed as soon as it was cut and he left with a heavy heart and uncertain mind.

………

Ron was frantically scribbling on his parchment about the things he knew about vampires that particular afternoon. His writing was a mess and since classes were about to be over, he needed to go to Professor Snape’s hell hole and wash the cauldrons. As soon as he realized that Harry would not show, he started on his essay but the time was not enough. He was about to pull on his hair when a thick tome fell on the table in front of him.

He looked up to see who placed it. He knew it was Hermione just by the look of the book. But how wrong was he when he saw the smiling face of his mate right in front of him. His heart beat was acting up quick as he was sure Pansy Parkinson would be able to fully hear it.

“Relax Weasley, I won’t bite.” Pansy was smirking at him, _bloody hell,_ but Ron had to keep up his appearance so he sneered at Pansy’s direction.

“Why are you here Parkinson?”

The female vampire leaned back in her chair as she crossed her hands on her chest. Ron could nearly smell her sweet scent but he also leaned back to prevent himself from looking like an utter fool.

“I am just here to make you an offer.”

Ron’s eyebrow was raised at this and Pansy had a gleam in her eyes that Ron noted as suspicious.

“I will not make a deal with you Parkinson,” he said as he ignored the Vampire and decided to write stuff again on his parchment.

“Really? Because with what I’m currently seeing, you would get a grade lower than the given standard if you were to pass that to Professor McGonagall.”

Ron grunted and glared at the vampire. This seemed to have caused a sparkle to appear at her eyes which Ron found beautiful but he easily shook his head.

“What is it then?” he yielded. Those eyes, he cannot refuse.

"I will help you with your Vampire Studies essay and in return…" she then leaned in as she placed one of her elbows on the table so she could rest her chin on the back of her hand. The way her hair cradled her face made Ron want to touch her cheek, but he drove that thought away as he raised an eyebrow with a bored look. "...You will help me with my Werewolf Studies essay. How about that?"

The way her plump lips curved into a smile was forever ingrained in his brain that he quickly agreed to her request.

“Sure.”

_‘Damn it! Why?_ ’ his thoughts screamed and he could hear his wolf howling in the air. He shut it off then as soon as a hand was then offered in front of him.

“What is that for?”

“Oh, come on, Weasley. I was taught that if ever I make a deal, you shake hands to ensure that both parties agree. Don’t you think so?”

Ron swallowed nothing as he was sure the she-devil was doing this on purpose.

_‘Fine, then. Two can play this game. I will not yield, I will not be the first one to acknowledge our bond.’_ With his thoughts finalized, he shook the Vampire’s hand. Though— _boy, how wrong was he_ —because as soon as their hands touched, a sparkle of energy made its way onto their bodies that Pansy almost shivered. But she as well had made up her mind, she will make Ron Weasley admit that they are mates. No matter how long or what it takes, she will not be denied.

…..

Neville was in the greenhouse waiting for Marius to arrive. Since he was trusted by the Professor, he had free reign of the place and had gathered up the ingredients that Marius asked. So, when he took a pause and relax a bit, it was an understatement when he was so startled to feel his eyes covered. He then began to panic and elbowed the man that held him.

“Ow! Nev!" A whiney voice said and as Neville fully took a peek at who it was, his heart calmed down as he saw Blaise clutching his stomach.

“I’m sorry, Blaise.”

Blaise held up a hand to stop him and Neville did as told before he began fiddling with his hand, completely apologetic.

Noticing the discomfort of his mate, Blaise offered a smile. “I’m just kidding. I’m fine, Neville,” he said, eyes gleaming.

Neville relaxed almost instantly at that. “Okay, but why are you here? Where is Marius?”

“And here I was skipping my own class just to see you and you’re looking for Marius? Fine, I will just call him here then.” Blaise pouted as he began scurrying away like a sulky kid.

Neville, thinking Blaise was upset at him, started panicking out of his mind. He chased after the other in impulse before he hugged him from behind to stop him. “’m sorry.” He snuggled his face further to the back of his mate as Blaise’s scent began calming him down.

Meanwhile, Blaise was grinning when he noticed Neville himself took the initiative. It really was a good idea to play the jealous type once in a while. Maybe he needed to listen more to Theo’s advice from time to time but he shook his head as he felt Neville snuggled closer to him. He then turned back, his pouty face in place, and Neville's eyes were pleading with him that he looked utterly cute in Blaise's opinion.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that Marius was supposed to meet up with me for the ingredients of a potion he wanted to brew and I—“

"Go on, Neville, continue," Blaise said, finding the trying-hard-to-explain Neville adorable.

“I was just surprised to see you and I was so happy and I— Uh, I, umm… I-I—“

“Shh,” Blaise stopped him from spluttering any more than he did. Neville blushed fully that he looked down once again in embarrassment.

“Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to hide your face away from me?” Then Neville slowly looked up at Blaise, his face still tinged with red and his arms still around Blaise’s waist. “I have something for you.”

Neville’s eyes widened at this. “But Blaise, it isn’t even Christmas yet.”

“I know, I know. But as soon as I saw it, I wanted to give it to my mate. To you,” Blaise said and Neville blushed again, he could not stop himself from doing so.

“But I have nothing to give you back,” The werewolf replied, but Blaise cradled his cheek and caressed it so lovingly that it reflected in his eyes.

_‘How did I get so lucky?’_ Neville’s thoughts spoke to him and he smiled softly at the man in front of him.

“Diletto, you don't have to give me anything in exchange. All I ever needed was your love and acceptance and you have given that to me without a thought." Then one of his hand went to his pocket and inside his closed fist, he opted for Neville to open up both of his palms.

Neville did so and as soon as Blaise released his hold on the object and as soon as Neville saw it, his eyes gleamed in fascination.

“It is the rose that only blooms once every thousand years. I had my mother encase it in a stasis spell so it won’t ever wilt.”

“It’s beautiful,” but then the realization hit Neville. “It must’ve cost a lot. I can’t receive such a thing from you,” Neville said worriedly.

Blaise only chuckled. “Calm down, Nev. Our family has grown that flower for as long as I know. I wanted to show you the entire field filled with it during the winter but, never mind.” Things went unsaid and Neville nodded his head in understanding. War will be soon upon them again and one person knowing the secret hideouts of the Order would initially put them in danger.

“Thank you, Blaise.” Neville hugged the Vampire so closely and snuggled his head at the nape of his neck where Blaise’s scent was so prominent. They stayed that way until the sun went down and Neville needed to lock up the place.

…..

It was three days later and Harry still found himself feeling extremely stressful because, for the life of him, he couldn't stray his eyes from Marius whenever the human came into the vicinity. He was so pissed off too and very much in need to calm down a bit. So, the young alpha tried to think of a place he could spend some time to loosen up a bit. He chose the Whomping Willow as his destination to go and clear his mind off by sleeping there, but the sight he saw when he arrived made him stop in his tracks. 

There he was, the very person who messed up with his thoughts sleeping peacefully under the tree. Harry's breath hitched when he drank in all of the details that were Marius. He felt like he had never seen anything so beautiful. The platinum hair in contrast with the bark of the tree, making it more prominent, and then his pale complexion. It was ethereal, even. Harry wasn't even thinking when his body moved forward. As soon as he was close enough, he could see his thick eyelashes fanning Marius' cheeks. This scene was much much better since it was close up.

Harry stared at him and stared, _stared._ He saw innocence reflected on how Marius slept, how fragile he looked that all Harry wanted to do was to gather him in his arms and never let him go. To keep him there in his protection. He was now wearing a smile as he cautiously, as if Marius would break in one wrong move, brushed the strands of hair that tickled the human's nose and curled them up his ears.

Marius began to stir. His face scrunching up as if having a bad dream and Harry was prepared to run as fast as he could in case he woke up, but all Marius did is tilting his head to the side, almost making him topple. But before he fully leaned to his right, Harry's huge hand held his head to stop it. The werewolf was about to fix him up to his previous position but alas, Marius tilted his head and his lips touched Harry's palm that brought shivers up his spine.

Harry could not breathe. So instead of doing anything anymore, he caressed Marius’ face, tracing his eyes and the bags under it. When he looked at the human’s face now, all he could see was his serene expression, rid of any worry nor pain, and all Harry wanted to do was to keep it that way. Harry then silently and cautiously sat next to Marius, careful not to remove his hand and then placed Marius’ head to his shoulder. As soon as said head touched his shoulder, it felt right—as if he was the missing puzzle that Harry had been searching for his whole life.

And Marius? Marius looked like he was agreeing with Harry from the way he snuggled more to him and edged the space between so that they would be close to each other. Harry sighed and looked up the sky, then looked to his left at the tuff of blonde hair tickled his nose. But instead of leaning away from it, he leaned in and opted to smell the human’s nonexistent scent.

The wind suddenly blew and the cold air caused the human to further shiver and snuggle to Harry’s heat. Harry wanted to place him in his lap and hug him from behind to cover him up with his own warmth but he knew if Marius woke up, he would not want to be in that kind of situation with Harry.

So he did what he could and slowly, without waking the human up, removed his school robes and wrapped Marius in it. His heat residue seemed comfortable for Marius to finally stop shivering, he laid Marius’ head to the grass slowly.

When Harry thought that he could finally leave since he needed to meet up with Ron to help him with his new homework, a sudden murmur of a name escaped Marius’ lips that froze Harry to his position. He knew he might be hallucinating or hearing things due to his sudden unusual fixation on the human. But despite its slight chance it truly was his name being called, he sat in front of Marius. He watched his breathing and he once again sighed. He had been doing that a lot lately.

He was about to leave, _again,_ but stopped himself when he noticed something on Marius’ palm. There he saw what seemed to be an old scar. He gently pried the human’s fingers one by one to see it properly, only to realize the scar seemed to have been vertically cut. Harry felt something stir inside of him as he slowly picked up Marius’ left hand and began to inspect it. Then, unconsciously, he laced their hands together. Harry knew his hand was calloused from training meanwhile Marius’ was soft and smooth except for the scar on the palm.

He just stared at their joined hands, quite surprised with himself, before he finally let out a tender smile on his lips. The feeling of the blonde’s smaller hand seemed right in Harry’s huge ones. He didn’t know why exactly, but it just did. Though, not long after, he was put out of his reverie when Marius tugged on his left hand back, pulling Harry along.

He just had to apologize to Ron later then, the werewolf thought, as he also tilted his head and decided to watch over the sleeping human. His thumb brushing on the side of Marius' hand now and then. He closed his eyes, releasing a sigh he did not know he was holding.

"Why is it that the more I try to stay away from you, the more I feel drawn to you?"

He closed his eyes as he relished this moment that he knew he would never have with Marius as the human was still mad at him. And at that moment, Harry wished that time would stop and allow this to last for as long as he wants. That Marius would be by his side, to smile at him with his innocence and watch him with those silver eyes that are full of life. And so Harry wished.

……

In the distance, Hermione was hiding behind a column, watching them with a small smile curling up her lips. She was about to leave when a voice whispered into her ear.

“I didn’t know the Great Hermione Granger loves spying on people.”

The haughty tone made Hermione turn her back on the scene to face the grinning Orion Lestrange. Behind him was Pansy Parkinson who was looking at the duo by the tree with interest gleaming in her eyes.

“I am merely passing by.”

“Tsk. No need to be shy about it Granger.” Then Orion began to walk towards the two, but Hermione stopped him by clasping her hand to his wrist, making Orion glare at her and even bare his fangs. Hermione immediately released her hold on him.

“Can you at least let Harry have this moment with him?”

Orion's face seemed to spark with amusement at that, his previous hostility gone.

“And why should I allow it?” he said, turning to face her.

“I heard from Harry that you and Marius are not mates. You have no right to stop him with who he wants to be with.”

“But I have the right to protect him from all who wishes him harm.”

Hermione flinched at this, remembering that Harry had shouted at Marius before making the human avoid him at all costs.

“Cat got your tongue huh?” The vampire said smugly.

Hermione glared in return and Lestrange seemed to be enjoying this more and more. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Pansy staring at the scene at the Whomping Willow and she had a look of envy in her eyes.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Hermione retorted. She knew it was weak but she would not give in.

“Professor Binns would not miss our presence,” answered Lestrange before suddenly, he turned serious. But before he spoke, his eyes glazed over Pansy and Hermione watched carefully at their interaction.

“Pansy.” Her eyes snapped to him before he then spoke to Hermione once again. “I have already given Potter enough time with Marius. In that state of his, even if the Dark Lord were to attack Hogwarts, he would not wake up.”

Hermione was then taken a back—was that Lestrange’s attempt at a joke? Or was he implying something else?

“Later, Granger,” he waved as he then went towards Harry and Marius, Pansy easily fell into step with him.

“Orion, I—“ Pansy’s sentence was easily cut off when Orion smirked at her.

“I know. Go.”

Pansy smiled widely at him and began to run the other direction but was stopped when Orion shouted at her.

“Pansy!” She turned back to look at him, her face flushed. “Tread carefully. You know who how he is with our kind.” Pansy nodded and rushed away as Hermione watched the scene with a confused face.

Orion then walked silently like the wind itself. He ignored Granger and as soon as he was in front of Harry and Marius, his blue eyes were met by emerald eyes, glaring at him. Harry looked like he had tons of things to say to him but Orion then placed his forefinger to his lips, signaling for Harry to shut his mouth. Harry gritted his teeth but didn't say anything, but seeing that Harry followed his order, this made a smug grin crawl up Orion's lips.

Harry seemed to have noticed his mistake as he then he unconsciously growled at the vampire, causing Marius to stir. Harry looked like he was about to panic, but Orion took pity on him and began to crouch down in front of them and he began to pick Marius up.

Seeing as Marius was clutching onto Harry’s hand tightly, made Orion raised his eyebrow in Potter's direction. Potter only had a smug expression on his face and at this, Orion decided to push Marius at the werewolf direction, making Harry panic a bit. Though he was able to carry Marius bridal style as he was able to manage while their hands were still entwined. Orion then gestured for Harry to follow him but the wolf looked reluctant in doing so.

“Potter, don’t you think that Marius deserves to sleep in a comfortable bed and not by the ground near a tree?”

This seemed to push Harry out of his stupor and then decided to follow Orion as they braved through the empty hallways. They were both stopped from their tracks when a voice that Harry recognized all too well called upon them.

“Wow, Harry. I didn’t know you move that fast,” George Weasley voiced out. By his side was his twin brother Fred Weasley smiling at their direction.

“Gred, Forge.” Harry greeted. Beside him, he noticed how Lestrange froze at his spot. His posture was stiff and his eyes empty as he looked up at the twins.

“Oooh,” the twins cooed together as they did not even look at each other before they began to speak.

“When did—“ Fred began.

“—the two—“ and George continued.

“—of  you—“

“—got along so well?” They finished together that made Harry look at them with a face of horror. He was about to retort when Lestrange began to speak, his voice devoid of any emotion as he placed both of his hands behind his back. Harry could see that he was clutching his right wrist tightly.

“It really doesn’t involve you two so why don’t you leave now that you are done with your business here?”

The twins chuckled and retorted. “You’re losing your touch, ickle Orion,” they teased at the same time and this earned them a glare from the vampire.

“Well, we—“

“—really have to go now,” they again said, finishing up each other’s sentences. “Later, Harry.”

They each patted the head of their future Alpha as they passed with a gleam in their eyes. Fred then patted the head of Lestrange as well who stiffened more than ever to the touch he received.

Throughout their journey to the Hufflepuff dorm, Lestrange was quieter than the usual kind of quiet. Harry wanted to ask him a ton of questions of why he was acting weirdly on the twins when just last year before the twins graduated he even threatened them both after they almost played a prank on him.

“We’re here,” Orion stated as he opened the door to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Harry did not realize that the Hufflepuff dorms were this close to the kitchens. He went inside to see the whole room decorated with black and orange the color that signifies the Hufflepuffs. He then felt something wet touching his hand and he looked down only to see a huge dog lolling its tongue at him.

“Beau,” Lestrange called and the dog happily ran to his side.

Harry watched as Lestrange patted the dog on its head. 

“Stay,” he ordered and the dog made its way to its usual spot by the carpet and rested there.

"Potter, follow me," Lestrange called out as he guided Harry to the room of Marius. As soon as he saw the bed, he laid the human down. Before Harry could place the blanket over him, Orion beat him to the punch. Marius slept by his side, his face being tickled by his hair once again that Orion seemed to have noticed and brushed it away from his face.

At that moment, Harry saw how Orion treated Marius. He treated him as if he was someone so precious to him. Like a family, or in Harry’s thoughts; _a lover._ He cleared his throat and Orion turned to face him.

He gestured for Harry to follow him in the common room as he closed the door of Marius' room. He then sat at one of the couches and looked at Harry to do the same. There was a pregnant silence that blanketed the whole room before Harry broke it.

“What really is Marius’ value to you? Why do you protect him?”

Orion grinned lazily at this. “I already answered that question of yours, Potter. I don’t like a repeat of it.”

Harry sighed, knowing that the vampire would not explain more. So he stood up and opted to leave when the vampire's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Do not underestimate Marius, Potter. It would be the last thing you must ever do."

He turned back at Orion who was now opening the chess board and fixing up the pieces for him to play.

“I know that.” He almost shouted and his frustration seeped out of him that he was sure Orion was able to sense it. He was expecting the vampire to laugh at him or retort in any way but he merely yawned as if bored and this irritated Harry more so he turned his back to leave.

After Harry left, Orion’s mind then began to think of how deep did Potter fell for his cousin. He scratched his head and shook it as he recalled what transpired at the Whomping Willow. He wondered what would happen if Potter were to find out of his cousin’s true identity and how he would react at that. But Potter is a Werewolf so he clearly had a mate that he just haven’t found yet. He would not allow his cousin to be discarded just as soon as Potter found his damned half.

No, he would not allow it. He knew the feeling of being betrayed more than anyone else and he would never ever wish it for his cousin. He would not care even if he and Potter would not get along with how Orion would pull Marius away from him. He would protect his cousin no matter what.

He decided to just forget about that at the moment and waited to see how everything will play out. Besides, his cousin knew that they would need the assistance of Potter and his Gryffindors along with Granger and her witches in order to fully execute the plan that Marius proposed to him last night. So for now, he needed to play nice with them and stop being a bastard.

More importantly, the sudden appearance of the twins was something he did not expect. He held his right wrist close to himself as he felt the pain he received that day. He was sure as soon as Marius would awake, he would be interrogated by what occurred and he would have no choice but to honestly answer his cousin as he never left a stone unturned.

….

"It looks like you are about to reach a decision." Hermione's eyes snapped to her left as she was walking alone in the corridors of the castle, only to see Theodore Nott sitting at one of the beams of the castle, a book opened in his lap.

“But with no evidence, I cannot just challenge her.”

Theo grinned at her as he jumped down. He landed gracefully, his eyes gleaming with knowing understanding. “Wanna know where Chang does her dirty work?”

Hermione looked at the vampire and saw no lie in his words. “Why are you trying to help me?”

Theo shrugged his shoulders. “Seeing as how infatuated Potter is with our Marius, sooner or later we would have to get along.”

“So you decided that sooner is better than later, huh?”

“What can I say, having the Hermione Granger be in debt to me could be useful in the future.” He smirked and Hermione smiled in return. And the two unlikely beings went along their way.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys think thanks once again i appreciate itXD


	13. Formulation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it has been too long since I updated and I am so sorry for that school flooded me with a lot of work. Ok so this chapter is taken on the side of Draco during the days that Harry had been stalking him. 
> 
> Thanks to my beta Authlene, I am forever grateful for your help.
> 
> To all those who left kudos, comments, bookmarks, subscribed, and gave this story a read I am also very much grateful. Thank you!

 

Marius was pulled along the classrooms by Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley and he found that he had fun with them. Luna’s eccentricity and her sudden drifting of thoughts and topics were fun for him. It felt like he was challenged on how much he knew about the different creatures of the world. Ginny was fun in her own way, too, but he could see how much she cared for the blonde witch rather than focusing on him. She was acting like a protective sister. Marius couldn’t find it in himself but to found it endearing.

He grew fond of the two witches easily that he was almost sad he had to keep them at a distance for their own safety and for his own.

“Want to eat with us later at the Ravens table, Marius?” Ginny grinned at him, her hands clasped at her back as she walked backward in front of him and Luna.

He smiled at her in return before shaking his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire,” he smirked. Ginny’s eyes widened and she laughed, clutching her stomach.

“I don’t think us Ravens are the ones you should watch out for, Marius,” Luna said out of the blue.

Ginny stopped laughing and smiled at both of her friends. Marius looked confused. “What do you mean, Luna?”

“I think a green-eyed monster is manifesting.”

“Wait, what?” Marius asked, utterly confused. Beside him, Ginny was covering her mouth to prevent from laughing out loud. Marius turned to her for an explanation, but she just smiled widely at him and shrugged her shoulders. Great, he was absolutely lost.

“Well Marius, we are already in front of the Potions classroom.” Ginny then made a stop in front of him, making him did just that as well and stare at her for a while.

“See you later, then.”

But before he was able to leave, Luna clutched his wrist, making him turn back to her. “Here.”

It was a necklace, Marius realized, that she gave him. He stared at it, blinking owlishly, before looking at Luna for an explanation, raising his eyebrow.

“It keeps Nargles away, as I’m sure you will be infested with.”

Another blink. Lost, _again,_ he turned to Ginny who just smiled at him and nodded her head. He sighed and smiled at Luna. “Thank you, Luna.” He then waved them both goodbye as he entered the Potions classroom where he found out that a new potion is to be brewed. He easily found Neville and paired up with him.

The potion they were brewing was a potion that he and Neville brewed in the Room of Requirement so they both found it easy and they were able to move in sync. There was something bugging him, though, he could feel someone's eyes on him ever since he entered the classroom but he ignored it since he had his own priorities. He tugged Neville's robes, making sure that no one would eavesdrop on them before he asked Neville to lean down to whisper in his ear.

“Can I visit you later at the Greenhouse?”

Neville looked at Marius with glee, as no one really was that interested in Herbology as he was. He felt happy to be able to share it with another person so he nodded vigorously as Marius gave him a smile.

Marius then began to talk about herbs but it wasn’t long before he was interrupted by Professor Snape as he walked out of his office and began to scold a pair. Marius angled his head to see who it was, only to find out that it was Harry and Ron he was scolding. He sighed and shook his head. Thinking about Harry, he frowned. It wasn’t like he was still mad. He already forgave the werewolf, if he were to be honest, but _still._ An apology was needed. _Is that so hard?_

After their Potions class, Marius went along with Theo and Pansy. The remaining two vampires, Blaise and Orion, went their separate way, heading to the Owlery. Blaise was going to send a quick note to his Mother while Orion was pulled along to join him. The three then found a bench near grounds and despite being a bit chilly, they decided to hang out there. Marius sat next to Pansy while Theo was forced to seat on the ground, placing his books beside him. Marius was about to open a book but Pansy’s eyes on him sure didn’t help him if he were to concentrate reading. He opted to delay said activity as he sat cross-legged to face the female vampire.

“Is something the matter?” He asked softly.

Pansy looked down, she was then biting her bottom lip. Theo inclined his head to watch what was happening.

“I... Do you think he would accept me as his mate?”

Her eyes were so full of uncertainty, so un-Pansy-like, that it made Theo burst out laughing. Pansy glared at him before she took one of Marius books and slapped it at Theo’s arm.

“Hey!”

“Shut up, Nott!”

When she tried to hit him again, Theo raised both of his arms and smiled. Marius just watched their interaction fondly.

“But Pansy, that is so unlike you. Where is the girl who would take whatever she wants?”

Pansy froze at that, eyes wide. It was another three seconds before she moved again to look at Marius, silently asking if what Theo said was true. The human gave her a big grin in response.

She looked down again. “Do you guys really think I could make him accept our bond?” The uncertainty was still there, Marius noticed, but it had lessened somehow.

Marius then began to take the book from Pansy’s hand before he said, “Pansy, there is only one way to find out.”

A sparkle of something flashed in her eyes before it was once again disappeared.

“What’s wrong?” Theo asked.

“How should I approach him? I can’t just suddenly go talk to him for no reason.”

Marius flipped open his book before he leaned his back at the armrest of the bench, grinning. “Well, don’t you have an essay in Werewolf Studies you have been struggling with?” he asked, not-so-innocently, and winked.

Pansy choked, her eyes lit up once again before she abruptly stood up and scrambled away, making Theo doubled-over, laughing madly.

“See you boys later! I have a werewolf to ensnare!” she shouted with a huge smirk on her face before her figure was swallowed by the distance.

Said boys were left with a smile on their faces as well and for a few seconds, it was quiet again. Perfect. The human then began searching for a book to read. Surprisingly, though, his movement halted as a sigh registered in his ears.

“Do you think I would get to find mine as well?”

Marius was pleasantly caught away from his stupor by what Theo voice out.

“Find wh—“

“I meant my mate, Marius,” the vampire whispered, his face turning red a tinge. He looked so adorably embarrassed that Marius let out a laugh. Of course Marius had never seen the cool and collected Theodore like this. It felt good to know Theo now trusted him that much to talk about such matters with him.

He then stopped laughing and he placed his hand on Theo’s shoulder. When the Vampire looked up at him confusedly, he replied, “Of course you will soon. I’m sure of that, Theo.”

Theo grinned at him then his expression changed as what seemed to be an idea popped into his head. “Marius, you are close to those witches, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“During my birthday, a mark appeared on my arm but I don’t really know what it meant.”

Marius then released his hand on Theo’s shoulder in order to seek a piece of parchment and pen to draw a pattern he knew that might look like Theo’s mark. Theo angled his body to watch what Marius was doing.

Sighing and feeling defeated as he found none since he only brought his books with him he then asked for Theo's palm. At first, Theo looked at him weirdly but then obliged. Marius drew the pattern on his palm.

“Is the pattern that way?” he said as he finished tracing the pattern at Theo’s palm.

“No, it goes this way.” This time, he was the one who took Marius’ palm and began to trace on it. The human held back a giggle because of the ticklish motion. When Theo was done tracing, he was left confused and curious more than ever on what the mark meant.

All of a sudden, Theo felt a murderous aura prickling his skin. He quickly snapped his head to look around for any enemies, only to found none. He could not help but feel more cautious. Too cautious, in fact, that he was startled when Marius called him.

“Theo, is something the matter?”

He did not wish to worry the human so he just shook his head and grinned. “No, it was nothing. So what does it mean Marius?”

Marius’ eyes were full of glee that Theo was about to roll his eyes. “It meant that your mate hasn’t reached her proper age or the maturity of her powers. That is why the mark is still incomplete.”

Theo was elated at the news. His heart began to pound and unexplainable happiness filled him. As he smiled with Marius at the news, the aura soon was forgotten by him for a while.

……

Classes were long over and Marius yawned as he stretched languidly on his seat. He picked up his book and placed them in his bag as he left the room. As soon as he was outside, he was met by a beaming Blaise, which made him step back slightly.

“Okay, what is happening?” he asked no one in particular and Blaise swung his arm onto Marius’ shoulders which made him flinch at the sudden contact.

“Marius, can you cancel your plans with Neville this hour?”

His face was showing so much delight that Marius could not refuse, so he heaved a huge sigh.

“Fine. But—“

“Yes! Thank you, Marius!” he said before he rudely dashed as fast as he could toward the green house. Marius shook his head at this, his potion brewing had been postponed once again. He then walked towards his dorms swiftly as he was still feeling sleepy from the lack of blood from his body. The ingredients he needed for the potion were all present in the green house as he and Neville were talking about it during Potions.

He entered the Hufflepuff common room only to see his cousin Orion looking stiff as ever and Beau sitting at the carpet away from Orion. His eyebrows raised at this. The dog usually sleepy by the feet of Orion when he visited.

He looked at the Vampire again and he seemed tense. His shoulders were stiff. His expression showed stress and a certain tiredness on it.

“Orion?”

Cobalt eyes easily snapped open as Marius called out his name, blue meeting gray and Marius wasted no time in approaching his cousin who looked broken.

“What happened? Do you need blood?” He was about to add more tirade of questions but his cousin merely threw an envelope on the table. As soon as Marius saw the envelope, he could easily feel the darkness that surrounded the contents of the envelope.

“This letter found me as class ended.” His voice was devoid of any emotion.

“Did you open it?” And Orion nodded before he added, “Don’t touch the object, Marius. It’s vile.”

Marius picked up the envelope and poured its contents to the table. He saw what Orion meant by ‘object’ and was a bit shocked to note it was a bracelet that looked the same as the one Orion was wearing. He peered his eyes at his cousin who looked away, clearly distressed by it.

Marius took a letter that went along with it. The writing was impeccable, but the ink was not black. It was red. Blood, Marius deduced. He ignored that fact in order to read the letter.

_‘My Dear Sweet Orion,_

_I have been utterly joyous to find out that you have finally taken the Mark of our Lord. Do forgive Mummy that she was not able to attend your passage to adultery and your welcoming to the Family. I have been quite busy with our Lord’s errands as of late._

_Finally, you have opened your eyes and decided to join us. Mummy is truly proud. Now isn’t it a good thing that your Father and I removed that repulsive thing in your soul and recreated you a new? Well, no matter. We will meet again very soon, my sweet, as long as you do exactly as I order you._

_The Phoenix has to die soon. That is all I ask of you to do and the bracelet will alert me of its death. After that, my sweet, leave the rest to Mummy, will you?_

_With Love, Mummy’_

“Dumbledore,” Marius voiced out as he finished reading the letter and set it down on the table.

Orion nodded his head in approval. "I can't kill him, Marius." His voice was sharp but shallow, his breathing ragged. Marius knew that Orion was feeling conflicted at this. He sat by his side as Orion placed his head in his hands and Marius patted his back in comfort. “If—If Dumbledore dies, the Order will fall to ruin. Many will lose their will and soon they have to bow to The Dark Lord.”

Marius just silently comforted his cousin as his mind raged on possibilities of what he could do to help.

“Not just that,” Orion continued as he sat up and looked at Marius whose face was full of concern. “The barrier of the werewolves will soon break, and when they have killed them all. The muggle world will be next. They will be a feeding ground for all vampires." Orion then closed his eyes and tilted his head back, groaning in despair. “I can’t do it.” His voice lost its hope and he thanked Marius’ silence, hoping that that cousin of his would not try to be involved. He did not deserve to be in a world like this.

“Refuse. Let Dumbledore live,” Marius reasoned out, but Orion growled at him.

“I can’t. Mother will kill h—me,“ he stopped his sentence as he realized he was about to touch a corner of his memories that he never wanted to be opened. Marius seemed to have understood this and he then looked down in deep thought.

“There is a way.”

Orion’s eyes snapped open. He looked at his cousin whose silver eyes gleamed with determination.

“How Marius?”

Orion was desperate, he knew that much, but when he heard the words that Marius uttered, he felt like he was a devil who dragged an angel to hell by its battered wings.

“ _I_ will have to kill Dumbledore.”

……

Hermione was determined, but it seems that Cho Chang was becoming more and more wary of her. The brown-haired woman now knew why Andromeda chose her as one of her possible Heirs; she was good at her magic and intelligence and was as slippery as an eel. When Hermione thought she finally was able to catch her red handed, she was wrong.

Hermione never felt this frustrated, ever, that she borrowed the Invisibility Cloak of Harry and casted a spell on her own person in order for detection to be impossible.

She slowly followed Chang as she walked alone through the corridors, making sure that Chang was a few steps ahead of her. After a few twists and turns around the castle, Hermione was feeling as if she was being led somewhere but then, as Chang took a turn, she found her gone.

She rushed to look around the corridor to find any kind of passageway, only to find nothing. She even tried to look behind the tapestries but still nothing. She cursed inwardly as she removed the cloak.

Sighing in defeat, Hermione walked away and decided to investigate things much more closely next time. She had never felt this blind. Things were happening around Ravenclaw without her knowing and she felt like she had failed as a leader. Her hands clutched tightly the Invisibility Cloak as she walked away, her mind deep in thought that she suddenly bumped into someone.

“Ow!” she said as she rubbed her bottom. She then looked up unknowingly with a glare, only to see Luna Lovegood began to ease away from her. Hermione realized she must have scared her due so she took a deep breath and held in her anger. She then offered her hand for the blonde girl to take. Lovegood merely looked at her offered hand then her brown eyes as if uncertain.

“I apologize if I startled you and for bumping into you,” Hermione said sincerely that something within those eyes of the blonde-haired woman changed. She then reached up Hermione’s hand and Hermione helped her up, their contact a bit closer since Hermione tugged on her slightly too much.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was headed since I was following the flocks of Wrackspurts around.”

Hermione’s eyebrows rose at this, her mind began to find what Wrackspurts are only to find no knowledge about such creatures. Therefore, to be polite, she went along with the younger witch.

“I see. So, were you successful in finding their nest?”

There was then a sudden glitter in those eyes of hers that Hermione thought was curious.

“Not yet, but when I do, I will be sure to tell you.” She gave a small smile towards Hermione. She looked behind the brunet only for her face to pale.

Hermione was startled at this and looked at the same direction. There wasn’t anyone there, so she looked back at Lovegood who looked horrified. She approached the young witch and slowly placed her hand on her shoulder. As soon as they made contact, she flinched.

“I apologize, Granger, but I have to go,” Lovegood said before she began to hurriedly dash away from Hermione who was about to ask a question. 

Hermione turned around, back to the corridor where she followed Chang in. Again, it still looked empty. But somehow, she was sure there was something behind those corridors that made Lovegood run away as if she had seen something horrible.

She had to find out the secret behind these corridors. If it led somewhere and if Chang was committing some horrendous crimes, she would have to Challenge the witch and punish her for such acts.

…….

“ _I_ will have to kill Dumbledore.”

_I will … kill Dumbledore._

_…kill…_

There was a bit of silent before Orion's face drained of any color. “Are you insane, _Draco_?” he shouted, horror painting his expression. “Kill? _You_? NO!” The vampire practically sprung up from his seat at the same time Marius noticed the use of his real name. “I don’t want you to be a killer because of me! I am your cousin, Draco. _Your family._ I am supposed to protect you. I am supposed to keep you safe, not endanger you more! I have to make sure you’re okay! What if Mother comes after you because of that?! I can’t ever forgive myself if she catches you, _because of me!_ And, and—“

When Orion started fumbling over his words, so-not-Orion-like, Marius took pity of him. He put a hand on his frantic cousin before realizing a soft sigh. “I am not that hopeless, Orion. I can stand on my own. Maybe not against your mother or Dumbledore, but enough. Thank you for caring that much about me, though,” he said with a smile. “But, well, don’t worry. I did not mean it literally. What I meant was to merely conceal who he is, like what I did to myself.”

Orion visibly relaxed at that, but his shoulders were still a bit stiff. “So you did not plan to kill him?”

Marius shook his head and Orion released a very heavy sigh as he slumped on the couch. “You could have just said so instead of wording it to something so insane,” he grumbled, eyes closing tiredly.

The human snickered at that before he fell into silence for a moment. “But…” he trailed, “Aunt will surely know that Dumbledore is not dead.” The letter surely mentioned the bracelet will alert her of the Phoenix’s fall; when Dumbledore _died._

Orion peeked on eye open, realizing that their conversation was far from over.

“Even if we were successful to hide his existence like what I did, he would still be hunted down and you would fail your mission.” Marius then began to stand up and pace the room his thumb's nail being bitten in the process.

“Your Mother is really good. I have to say,” he voiced out but did not stop his pace. 

Orion released a huge sigh and nodded his head in approval, though he was not sure whether Marius saw that affirmation or not because he seemed to be so lost in thought. He stayed quiet and let the blond think instead.

“She made sure that you have no choice but to obey her. This feels like a test for you, doesn’t it? Even so, she _knows_ you cannot disobey the Dark Lord as long as that mark is marring your skin.” Marius then subtly eyed Orion’s wrist, only for the latter to clutch it. Orion looked down and stared at the ground once again, feeling powerless despite his mother not being present.

Orion then looked up when a sudden clap came from Marius. He stared at his cousin whose eyes were darting everywhere as if he had reached a breakthrough.

“What is it?”

“I remember a potion that my Mother mentioned before. It could separate a soul from the body?”, Marius voiced out, unsure.

Orion seemed confused at this as well, so he tested as he asked. “Do you mean to turn him mortal?”

Marius shook his head. “No, but I think I know of a way to help us succeed without killing anyone.”

Orion’s eyes widened at this. He was filled with a certain awe at his cousin who was now deep in thought. A small smile graced his features.

“This is rare. Orion is smiling like an idiot.”

Both Orion and Marius snapped their eyes to the doorway, only to see Theo, Pansy, Blaise and Neville.

Orion then quickly and discreetly took the bracelet from the table. He wore it, not knowing that the spell that was casted on it activated. “Shut up, Blaise. We both know who is the idiot between us.” He smirked at the other vampire as the group then proceeded to sit around the Common Room.

Before Blaise could retort, Theo asked a question to stop the man from babbling again. “What were you two talking about while we were gone?”

“The reason why Marius has no scent.”

Theo hummed and Neville’s ears perked up at this as he was also wondering about that.

“I was just telling Orion that it was because of a Vampire that almost attacked me when I was young. He claimed that my scent was very delicious to him. After that, my Mother decided that my scent should be hidden, so she casted a spell. Therefore this,” Marius said easily.

Orion’s head whipped around at that, his eyes silently asking if it was true, only to find out that once again Marius lied about it.

“You must’ve had a pretty delicious blood then, Marius,” Blaise leered and Orion cleared his throat.

“What is that letter on the table?” Pansy started to ask.

Orion and Marius shared a look. There was a bit of silent when the two began to wordlessly argue of what to do. In the end, though, Orion sighed. It was a clue they decided that no secrets should be kept within them.

“Just a few hours ago, I received a letter from my Mother.”

The others, as if on cue, raised an eyebrow at that statement. They had never heard Orion mention anything about his mother. The identity of Mrs. Lestrange was a huge mystery to all of them.

“OH! You are finally going to reveal to us who your Mother is?” Blaise said enthusiastically. Even Theo looked curious at this.

“My mother is Bellatrix Black.”

All of them were stunned to silence at the revelation that one can hear a pin drop.

It was Pansy who broke the silence. She turned around to a rigid Orion. “So, what did your Mother write on her letter?” When the others gave her a look, she just shrugged. “Come on, guys. Who cares even if Orion’s mother is Bellatrix. Besides, I have to at least thank her for letting me meet Orion.”

Some of them broke out in grins and Orion felt truly lucky for his friends.

“She gave me a mission,” he said and with that, the tension was back again. With baited breath, he blurted out, “I have to kill Dumbledore.”

Another abrupt silence ensued. This time, Pansy broke it with an indignant squawk. “What!?” Theo, who was unfortunately beside her, covered his ears. "No! You can't kill him, Orion! To hell with the Dark Lord’s orders! To hell with your Mother!” She gripped the couch so hard that it could be ripped from her hands with a bit more movement. Left with no choice, Orion explained to all of them the consequences if he failed.

“We have to inform Dumbledore of this,” Blaise began.

Marius then spoke up after his long silence. “I have a plan. A formulation of it, at least.”

Theo turned to him at that while Neville tried his best to calm Blaise. “Go on, Marius. I don’t care what we have to do as long as there will be no one killed at this.”

Marius sighed heavily at this feeling a huge responsibility on his shoulders. Orion felt utterly bad for somehow being the cause of it.

“I would need help to locate a chamber here in Hogwarts,” Marius said grimly although his tone held no doubt in it. He was sure that Grimoire was here as well. His Mother had told him so.

“What is this Chamber?” Theo asked. His eyes narrowed and his expression serious.

“The secret Chamber created by one of the Founders, Rowena Ravenclaw.”

A look of pure confusion graced each one of them.

“The secret Chambers of the Founders are a myth. They don't exist, Marius,” Orion began and the others nodded as well, knowing the legends and lores of Hogwarts.

“It _exists_.”

Orion's mouth sealed shut at that. Marius words were final and, he thought, such certainty definitely came from an absolute belief that left no room for argument unless otherwise, one hundred percent proven wrong. And, well, every legend had the tiniest of truths in them after all.

“Say, even if we do find the Chamber, how do we open it?” Pansy asked as she gestured to all of them.

“Besides, why do we need to find the Chamber? How does this help us in saving Dumbledore?” Blaise asked next.

Orion glanced out of the corner his eyes at Marius. He was sure that wherever this led to, Marius had to reveal himself to them to clear everything up.

Marius' eyes were filled with determination. Of course, he noticed the way Orion was now watching his every move with a silent admonition. He heaved in a deep breath. He couldn’t bear to fail now, nor could he reveal he is. Not when he had gone this far. He had to find ways to answer without saying the whole truth, but also not completely lying.

“Inside the Chamber lies the Grimoire of Narcissa Black. It contains a potion that could induce temporary death and when the antidote is given at the right time, it will revive the drinker.”

A gasp erupted from Neville and Pansy. The other’s shocked expression were not missed by Marius.

“How did you know any of this, Marius?” Theo was sure he had never read anything, nor he had ever known anyone saying something about such potion or grimoire. Thus he eyed Marius with suspicion and a tad bit sharp speculating gaze that would make anyone directed with this gaze crumbled and confessed the truth.

Sadly, though, the one he unknowingly faced right now was Draco Black. For him to fulfill his promise with his mother to keep his identity hidden, he would go to any lengths for it.

The lies Marius—Draco; whoever he could be—told came as easily as the ones he remembered giving Harry some time ago. “My Grandmother was close to her, that Narcissa Black,” he said. “She used to visit our cottage along with her son, Draco Black, my best friend.”

All eyes were wide and some were even gaping at him. Even Orion, who in a million years would never expect such convincing reaction, gaped too.

“You knew Draco Black?” The only werewolf present there asked. Marius nodded without any trace of hesitation as an answer. “Then, do you know where he is?” Neville’s eyes were hopeful at finally being able to find the hope of his race, but this time, Marius looked down. His hope deflated a bit.

“I have an inkling, but I’m sorry, Neville. I can’t tell you and break my promise.” When the words left his mouth, he quickly felt a lump forming in his throat. Lying was never his thing. It felt absolutely horrible.

Neville kept his smile, though, reassuring him it was fine. “Never mind, Marius. I understand. That’s okay.”

Meanwhile, the others opted to silently watch. They were still not relieved from the shock. This was not the first time they heard of Draco Black. Dumbledore had told them before about him, but the knowledge that Marius personally knew the most wanted child of their time was an entirely different thing altogether. If any of the marked vampires in Hogwarts were to find out about this, they were sure to torture him for his location.

“We will search them ourselves,” Neville added with a hint of forceful determination.

Marius sighed. Now he felt even worse. For the smallest redeem, he offered the other a supportive smile. “Well, if you do find him, I think all that is left to do is to convince him to help you and maybe he will,” he genuinely said.

Neville’s eyes lit up once more at the revelation. Blaise placed a hand on his back to give his own support. “Thank you, Marius.”

It was Pansy who finally able to speak next. “Are you certain that potion exists and the grimoire is located in this castle?”

Marius nodded confidently. The three unmarked vampires looked at each other as if sharing a silent agreement.

“We will find this Chamber, but if this is Ravenclaw’s Chamber, would we not need a witch to help us locate or open it?” Blaise asked.

“The lore states that only the heir and those deemed worthy of each of the Chambers could open it. None of us here is a witch.” Pansy gestured.

Theo who was quiet again spoke up. “Let me handle that.”

Eyes were then directed to him, questioning. He grinned as if he knew exactly what to do. They let him off at that.

“Are we going to inform Dumbledore of our plan?” Orion began to ask.

“Yes, as soon as we find that Chamber and retrieve the Grimoire that Narcissa Black left there.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing with the plan.

…..

The Vampires then all left the confines of the Hufflepuff Common Room. The plan was now understood and would be going underway as soon as Marius found something he was looking for. Before Neville could go, Marius stopped him in his tracks by pulling his sleeve.

“Is there something wrong, Marius?”

“Neville, would it be alright if you supply me with these ingredients?”

Neville was then handed a parchment where a set of ingredients for a potion were written. As he read them all, his eyes widened as he came to a realization of what exactly the potion for. He looked at Marius with lots of questions in his eyes and Marius sighed in defeat.

“Orion has been feeding on me.”

Neville’s expression could be described as horror. “Marius! That is dangerous! Do Theo, Blaise and Pansy know?”

Marius shook his head and he felt like a child being reprimanded by his Mother. “No, they don’t.”

“They have the need to know,” he said adamantly. When he was about to open the door and call out the other Vampires, Marius stopped him by holding his wrist.

“I can explain,” said the human stiffly. Neville yielded to those gray eyes as he nodded and allowed Marius to explain. “Orion can’t consume blood unless it is from the source. It was because of the Dark Mark.”

Neville’s eyes widened at that. “Then why didn’t he say anything?”

At least, Marius had the grace to look guilty. “We forgot?” he said sheepishly.

The werewolf released a huge sigh. “Fine. I will procure you these ingredients but you have to tell this to Blaise and the others. Got it?”

Marius nodded and after that, Neville went on his way to the Gryffindor Tower.

…

As soon as Orion and the rest entered Slytherin Common Room, some of the vampires were still awake. Most of them Orion found out were marked by the Dark Lord. He stiffened his posture and wore his usual cold demeanor. He signaled Blaise, Theo, and Pansy to leave so he was left alone with the marked Slytherins.

“My, my, Orion. Still playing with your unmarked vampires?” Andrew Rosier spoke. He was one of the seventh years.

“That is your problem, how?” he coldly snapped back and they all just laughed at his retort.

“We allowed you to be, well, what do you call this acquaintance with them? But, this human? What do you plan on doing with him?” Rosier’s fangs were out as he grinned at Orion’s direction.

Orion remained calm and collected, though. He might have been called the Prince of Slytherin but when dealing with the Seventh Years who were marked before him, he could not disobey them. Even so, being Bellatrix’s son could be something to be grateful for because that gave him an edge to be able to reign the seventh years a bit.

“Unlike you, Rosier, I am using my brain.”

Andrew growled at this but was held back by his twin sister, Andrea Rosier. “This is better. This way the headmaster will not be too suspicious and let his guard down. And when the time comes…” Things remain unsaid but Andrew’s grin state otherwise.

“Oh, Lestrange. How are you faring with the hunger?” This took Orion by surprise and his eyes almost widened but he kept up his appearance. Andrew was looking smug about his predicament and the other’s seemed to be enjoying that as well.

“Andrew, enough.” The soft voice of his twin stopped Andrew with his egging. She turned her head to Orion’s direction. “If you can’t take it anymore or need blood, all you have to do is kill someone and drain their blood. It will ease the pain and that way, you could also eat normally like you were before.”

That was then that Orion realized what they meant. Now he knew why those older that were marked by the Dark Lord were able to drink and eat again like before. Killing, that was the completion for the mark to not prevent him from eating his usual foods as before. 

 “Well, we expect a promising result, Orion. Welcome to the family and all that shit anyway. Let’s go.” Rosier and the others then left. They headed to their own respective dorms.

Now, Orion thought, they couldn’t bear a failure on their plan. The Rosiers as well had been given an order which was to watch him carry his mission successfully. He clutched his head as he entered his room that night, feeling headache began to grow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys thinkXD


	14. Secrets Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi...i deeply apologize for not updating last month, i was super busy as it was exams month and when i thought it was over our teachers left us a ton of projects and quizzes that i barely slept at all, i dont even remember the days that have passed and it was already the end of the month and i forgot to update*sigh*...anyway enough of my rant, i wanna thank everyone for being patient with me and for my beta for being there..to all of you guys who left kudos, comment, subscribed and gave my story a read thank you sooo much...all of you give me motivation to write XD

The Vampires then began their search for the Chamber as soon as the sun hit the horizon during their breaks. Whenever they were free, they scoured the whole of the castle. Marius, too, searched around the castle and when he was alone in his room, he did his hardest to cast the minute magic that he could.

Even so, their efforts had been futile. There weren’t any chamber seemed to be found.

Blaise plopped himself on the black leather couch of the Hufflepuff common room as soon as he entered, closely followed by the other two vampires. Neville came then, holding on a bunch of what seemed to be potion ingredients before Marius took it and placed it on one of the tables of the room as he looked towards the defeated form of Blaise, Theo, and Pansy. Orion was only entering the room when he saw them. He sat on one of the couches as well.

“It’s impossible to find the Chamber, Marius,” Blaise crinkled his nose as he continued to speak. “Here I was hoping to have the nose of Werewolves. No offense, _diletto_.” He looked towards the quiet Neville who just smiled at his direction and rested his head on Blaise’s shoulder.

“But Blaise is right for once.” There was a successive _‘hey’_ but was soon forgotten as Theo continued to talk. “Searching for the Chamber in a huge castle is a hard task, Marius. If we could—“ Pansy shook her head at Theo. That was then that Theo remembered Potter still hadn’t apologized to Marius and so the strained relationship between the two.

Marius was quiet the whole time. His mind was whirring with information as to how to look for the Chamber. He bit his thumb at the suggestion. It was probably for the best. Werewolves could easily track a scent no matter how far they are. He looked toward the direction of Beau who just tilted his head as if waiting for his order, but he shook his head. He cannot let his dog roam the grounds of Hogwarts and the castle is huge and Beau’s nose couldn’t be compared to the senses of werewolves.

He sighed in resignation. The others watched him warily as if waiting for him to make his move. Theo already dropped the bait, he was only waiting for Marius to make the choice himself.

“Fine. I will speak to Harry to ask his help.”

Orion’s eyebrow rose. “That means that he will have to learn about our plans as well.”

“We will do our best to hide it.”

Neville then cut in the conversation. “Uhm, I don’t think that is a good idea. Harry is…” He looked up, only to see all eyes focused on him.

“Go on, Neville. You know Potter better than we do,” Pansy said lazily.

“Well, he is very good at finding out things. He would eventually know if we lie and he might misunderstand if we don’t explain it to him properly.” Marius’s eyebrow raised at this—true. Instead of helping, Harry might go against their plan.

“Neville is right.” The others nodded, remembering things that happened in the past where Potter’s impulsiveness worked before words or hell—thinking. They all shook their heads in resignation. They wanted this plan to work and they will not let Potter’s annoying impulses to get them into trouble to make them fail.

“Okay, that matter is settled,” Marius said and before he could stand up to stretch, Theo’s knowing voice was heard in the room.

“Marius, for whatever reason are the ingredients of Blood-Replenishing Potions for?”

This caught Marius and Orion off-guard as the others stared at them both pointedly.

“…To replenish the blood? I thought we have lea—“

“Marius,” Pansy sighed, “you know what he meant.”

“ _Neville_!” Marius whined. He thought Neville ratted them out, but Neville shook his head vigorously.

Now those two vampires turned toward the poor werewolf. “You knew!?” Both their booming voices now echoed through the room and Neville was shaking at the duo. And then the three of them—Marius, Orion, poor Neville—were now under the scrutiny of a mother-like glare by Pansy, a father-like disapproving eye by Theo, and a disbelieving stare by a certain someone’s mate.

“How come you never told me this Neville?” Blaise began as he looked like a kicked puppy.

“Shut up!” Theo and Pansy’s voice boomed again and Blaise sulked at the couch by himself. The duo turned their eyes back on the three, again. Neville knew then he never wanted to be in the bad graces of either of the two ever again.

“You have been feeding on Marius?!” Pansy screeched because those morons didn’t want to talk.

Orion and Marius covered their ears from the high-pitched voice.

“Don’t you know that that is very dangerous? What if you couldn’t stop Orion?” Theo said sternly.

“There is a proper explanation for all of this,” Marius spoke then, but he was cut off by Pansy and Theo’s glare.

“This better be good.” Pansy crossed her arms and tapped her feet to the carpet as she stood and Theo merely looked at them pointedly.

Marius and Orion then began to properly and slowly explain themselves along with adding the explanation on how Neville found out to save him from the scrutiny of the two and his mate. Neville was easily forgiven and after a few minutes of being berated like children, the relatives were enveloped in a huge hug by their friends.

 “Orion, we are in this together, okay?” Pansy said as she hugged the life out of the vampire. “You can’t hide if your burden gets heavy. Please let us help you carry them.” She held the vampire’s cheeks in her hand as her eyes went glassy, unshed tears appearing.

“She is right you know,” Theo said as he smiled at Orion's direction. "But if you who is marked can only feed from the source, what about the Seventh Years who were marked?”

“They have already completed the passage,” Orion said as he properly sat up beside Pansy and Marius who looked equally curious as Theo. Blaise and Neville also looked at him in wonder. “Once given the mark, as long as you don’t kill someone, you will have to feed from the source.”

All eyes widened at the revelation.

“Are you telling me that all the Seventh Years who were marked had… killed someone?” Neville asked and eyes all fell upon Orion who just nodded his head.

………

It wasn’t long after that that the others except Orion began to excuse themselves, saying they have things to do. They were alone again after that and everything seemed to be enveloped in a comfortable silent for a while, that was until the human broke it.

“There is something that has been bugging me for a while, Orion,” Marius, no, _Draco_ stared up at him and with that, Orion was sure that the most dreaded thing about him was about to be revealed. “What did your Mother meant by recreated anew?”

Orion flinched at that, but Draco’s piercing mercury eyes were steady, demanding. How could he hide anything from those eyes?

“The way you looked at one of the Weasley twins… It was as if you were pained. Tell me why.”

It was not a commanding tone Orion heard, but he knew, all the same, he had to blurt out the truth.

Orion gulped before bowing his head and staring at his bracelet. His hand was unconsciously caressing it. He then closed his eyes as memories began to play on his mind. When he opened them again, Draco was subjected to pools of emptiness direct gaze.

“Swear to me that no one else will know.”

Seeing his cousin’s eyes, Draco nodded his head in understanding.

“I’m sure you know of this, but no one was ever born to be a hybrid even though you have a mixed blood. You could only be a werewolf or a vampire or in females case, a witch. Despite having both parents who are a vampire and a werewolf, you could only be born with one race,” Orion said.

Draco nodded his head at that. There was never a case of a child having both vampire and werewolf capacities or any other hybrid beings. Nature was sure to instill the meaning of balance in her after all. He was the first to break that rule, however. He was born with magic despite being born male. He and Orion stared at one another before the vampire continued his explanation.

“Did you know our Grandfather? His name was Henry Longbottom.”

“Huh? We are related to the Longbottom’s?” Draco blinked. He never really cared much about his grandparents as all he knew was that they were already dead, so it was quite a shock to suddenly know that.

Orion nodded. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“No, not really. No wonder I was a bit drawn to Neville as I am to you. We are of blood after all.” Draco gave a small smile as he found another connection to his family—someone he was willing to protect and sacrifice for.

 “Our Grandfather married someone from the Black family and since the Black name is never allowed to be forgotten or erased, he took on the name Black as his surname. It was a small thing for him to sacrifice as he would do anything for his mate.” Orion stopped for a while. He looked toward his cousin who looked in deep thought as if figuring out what Orion really wanted to tell him.

“What does our Grandfather has to do with any of this?”

“He was a werewolf.”

With those words, everything clicked on Marius’ mind.

_‘It can’t be.’_

He looked at Orion with horror. The other replied with a heart-clenching smile.

“Yes,” Orion’s broken voice rang and Draco’s body went rigid. “His blood was in me. I was born not as a pure vampire that my Father wanted me to be, but also a werewolf of the Longbottom clan.”

………………

Theo led Granger to one of the corridors of the castle, one he knew to be off limits somehow. He found this entrance a few years ago when he was in the third year and as soon as he found out what was inside, he made an unspoken rule to never enter it nor get involved in any witches games or ploys involving that room.

“Granger, the reason why you thought that Chang suddenly disappeared was this.” Theo then began to press his finger to the wall and as soon as it touched the wall, it rippled like water disturbed. That was then that Hermione realized Chang placed a charm to make the passageway look like a wall, but it was only covered up by a Mirror-Water Charm.

“Chang,” she gritted out. She had never felt this fooled. She prided herself as the brightest witch of their age and the future High Witch. Chang was a brilliant liar, Hermione concluded. She found out how truly talented the witch was despite her looking and acting like a fool sometimes.

“How long have you known of this passage?” Hermione asked Theo who looked at her back, unfazed.

“Three years ago. You may have been called the Leader of Ravenclaw, but Chang controls everything behind your shadow. We have watched as she bid her time, waiting for the day to challenge you. But that day never came as she seemed to have been amused in watching you act as a Leader in name only.”

Hermione’s mind was reeling with memories as she remembered everything she knew about Cho Chang.

“How do you know all of this?”

Theo looked at the witch who finally opened her eyes to the hidden darkness of Chang. “I have eyes everywhere, Granger. We have always been watching what happens inside of this castle, but it has never been in our place to interfere.”

Hermione’s narrowed her eyes. “Then why interfere now?”

“Circumstances called upon it,” Theo said simply.

The witch blinked, clearly not really satisfied with the answer, but somehow didn't comment on it. She only heaved a sigh before turning around to face the vampire directly. “You want something in exchange. What is it?"

“Later, Granger.” Theo let his arms fall to his sides as he tilted his head. “Now, though, be careful. Chang might not look like it but that witch is as capable as you do. Whatever you see beyond this, you have to be prepared to challenge her and take back the rightful seat as the True Leader of Ravenclaw that is not just a role you are currently playing right now.”

Hermione crossed her arms as she gritted her teeth, clearly pissed. “So supportive, Nott,” she replied sarcastically. “But sure, I will hear what you want from me when this is over.”

Theo snorted at that as he gave a grin. “As soon as you hear it, you will agree no matter what Granger.” He then turned back and walked away, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. She then snapped her head at the direction of the passage. She held up her hand in the mirror, water like veil, of the path. 

 _‘The best way to hide something, hide it in plain sight.’_ Her own voice rang in her mind. She was the one who said that to Chang in their younger years when she was still naïve. Well, no more of that now. She took a deep breath and with eyes filled with conviction and determination, she entered the passage.

………..

 “You are a born werewolf?” Draco then slowly eased himself to the couch once again and held his cousin’s hand which was cold and slightly shaking. Now he understood why the matter of his past was always a huge deal to him.

Orion nodded, eyes closed as those horrible memories clouded up his whole being. He clutched on his cousin’s hand who acted as his only anchor now when his head was trying to rip him apart once again.

“By the time I was born, Mother and Father desired my death. However, due to the circumstances of Grandmother’s curse to my Mother disowning our Grandfather, they had no choice but to keep me. They tried to produce another heir but that was then that my Mother found out about the nature of Grandmother’s curse. I am an only child and a reminder that she bore werewolf blood in her veins. I became a new follower of the Dark Lord, one whose fate they could carve themselves.” he sighed. “I did my best to live up to their expectations. I wanted them to be proud of me, to love me as Mother did to Nymphadora.” His voice cracked and Draco held his cousin close.

“That’s enough. Please stop,” Draco pleaded, but Orion wouldn’t listen.

“Then my transformation began. For the first time in my whole life, I heard him loud and clear. My wolf was calling me and I was so happy. There I thought I was no longer alone. That I could live even if I was not loved by those whose love I sought.”

Draco continued to sooth his cousin, but it was futile.

“...Those days were not to be. As soon as my mother found out, she smiled at me. And I, the fool that I was… I felt happy. She spoke to me, held me for the first time in a long while. I ignored the voice of my wolf who urged me to escape. I should have listened.”

…….

 _‘_ Mother is holding my hand,’ _the ten-year-old Orion thought as he smiled with all his heart, ignoring his wolf who whined and called upon him, urged him to run. ‘_ Mother would never hurt me. She would never hurt you _.’_

_The voice was silenced for a while as if waiting for a danger to come. Bellatrix led her son to an old section of the house. She then suddenly stopped, making Orion bumped to her legs. Orion quickly stumbled back to prepared himself of his Mother’s slap, but it never came as a soft hand rested then on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see his Mother’s black iris staring back at him._

_‘_ Mother is not mad at me. She is smiling at me _.’ He felt so utterly happy that he did not feel the spell that hit him. He then felt droopy and collapsed in his Mother’s arms._

_“It was quite a long wait, Bella.” Rodulphus appeared from behind the corridor to face his wife and another child came from behind him. A seventeen-year-old Nymphadora was smiling wickedly, her hair turning bright red with excitement._

_“Well, it will be worth it, my love. We will now recreate our son a new and this time, we will make sure to purge him of that dirty blood that Grandfather tainted in our pure bloodline." She then turned to Nymphadora. “Have you prepared everything Mummy has told you to do?”_

_The girl’s lips formed into a smile similar to that of Bella. Curse her mother’s curse for giving her a werewolf as a child and for Andromeda to be given a witch as a daughter. It truly was a good choice of her to steal the girl from her real Mother; Andromeda’s pain is her pleasure after all._

_“Are you coming along with us, darling?” Rudolphus asked the girl he fully accepted to be as his own who merely grinned up at him, showing her fearlessness and excitement of what was to happen._

_“I want to see my little brother be purged. I want to witness his rebirth.”_

_Both adults smiled. They could have never hoped for such a perfect daughter anywhere, unlike their son who was filled with that which they abhor._

_They all then entered a room at the basement where blood runes were painted on the ground. The corpses of the people whose blood were used were scattered around. Bella’s eyes found Nymphadora’s easily._

_“So messy, darling.”_

_Nymphadora only looked at the ground in shame but Rudolphus patted her on the head. “Don’t worry. I will order Wormtail to clean the mess up for you.”_

_The girl easily smiled and Bellatrix eased the unconscious body of Orion in the center of the circle. “Now, shall we begin?”_

_With a single flick of her hand, the black candles ignited with fire. Rudolphus merely stood watching as his wife chanted and Nymphadora looked on with awe._

_Soon, Orion awoke. His eyes were golden as the wolf within him was trying to protect himself. It was futile, though, when Bella continued to chant. He closed his eyes and opened it again. This time, the wolf subdued. He looked at his parents who stared at him inside the now burning circle._

_“Mummy? Dad? Nymphadora?”_

_The girl merely smiled wickedly in his direction and Bella had a sad expression on her face._

_“Don’t worry, dear. What I do, I do out of love.” She wiped a single tear that fell from her eyes._

_“What... What is happening? Why can’t I hear my wolf anymore? Dad, please stop Mom. My wolf is disappearing! No! It hurts!”_

_Bella merely looked at her child. “I am sorry, Orion. This is the only way. Can you hold on, my love? For me?” She smiled sweetly at her child and Orion gave a smile that turned into a grimace as his face twisted into that of pain. He was now crawling to the ground, his nails digging to the brick stones as it bled. He bit his lip from screaming as he could hear Nymphadora’s laughter from where she stood._

‘It hurts. It hurts.’ _With a howl of his wolf, it called upon its mate from a far despite not reaching the age of 16 to be capable of sensing their mates._

_“Oh my Lord!” Bellatrix exclaimed as the spell was abruptly stopped._

_Orion sighed in relief as his body sagged to the ground. The ripping of his soul was ceased and he could feel his connection to his wolf still there even if it was faint. He wanted to run away to his mate’s side, but his body was too exhausted._

_“What is wrong, Bella?”_

_“His mate. I felt his wolf calling his mate.”_

_Rudolphus’ eyebrow shot at this. “What of it?”_

_“It’s a Werewolf. Not just any werewolf, but also that of the Weasley!” With her shriek, the lights popped and the fires of the candle became much huge as if fueled by her rage. She turned toward Orion then as she patted her only son’s head. “Hold on, my love. I will purge you of your mate as well.” She began the spell again as Orion shouted in defiance._

_When the spell was done, he felt half of his soul gone. He was broken. Only the sound of his mate’s pained scream as their connection was destroyed was left to him. He felt his Father biting him and turning him into a pure vampire. Bellatrix and Rudolphus were successful and they could not have been happier._

_“Finally! Now I can fully call you my son,” Rudolphus said as he smiled at Orion who was battered as he was laid to his bed._

_“I am so proud of you, my love. You made Mummy so proud.” She kissed his forehead as he felt the healing magic that enveloped him, but he did not care._

_“Thought for a second you would die out there, brother. Don’t worry. Big sis will now protect you since now you are truly one of us.” She giggled on her way out and as soon as they were out of earshot, he clutched his chest and allowed himself to cry._

…..

All of the lights in Hufflepuff blinked as Draco tried to keep control on his magic. He would not explode now. Instead, he focused on his cousin who was now crying in his arms right now. He soothed him, spoke soft words to him.

When Orion was calm enough, he asked again. “What about the bracelet?”

The vampire looked at said bracelet. “Reveal,” he said. The magic that covered up the bracelet was released and all it was now was a piece of old handkerchief.

“How?” Draco asked.

Orion held onto the handkerchief as if it was his lifeline. “I asked a skillful witch to make it for me and had to pay a lot for her silence. It will only be revealed with the sound of my voice with the word ‘reveal and revert’.”

Draco gave a small smile to him. “Impressive.”

“This was given to me by my mate. I was eleven that time. I was so mad at the world. I desired destruction, my own death, so I cut myself on the train to Hogwarts only for him to find me.”

Draco could see that Orion was reminiscing and so he allowed him to do so.

“He took the glass that I hid and began to grab my hand. He was different toward me despite me being a vampire. He helped me and I was awed at that. I protested that it would easily heal but he said, ‘How could you be so selfish. What would your mate feel if they knew of what you are doing to yourself?’. I was stunned at what he said and I became quiet. He bandaged my hand with his handkerchief.” Orion chuckled a bit and Draco smiled at him.

“It was a dirty handkerchief. I was about to jab him about it when his brother came along and hit him on his head. Then I heard his voice as he voiced out his pain and I remembered that sound from the ritual. It was then that I found him. My mate. He was right in front of me. But in fear of what my Mother would do, I kept silent. She was capable of doing those horrid things to me. What more to strangers or the people she detested?” Orion gave a sigh of relief as he finished his story.

“Revert.” The handkerchief reverted and Orion realized that it had never once been touched by anyone but himself.

Draco did not know what to feel but the horror of what Orion had been through. It was hard, but he survived and that was all that mattered to him. Orion deserved to be loved, in spite of everything, his lineage, and his parents — he deserved it.

Draco truly admired his cousin. He just hoped he could be capable of finding a way to reconnect Orion’s soul to his soul mate once again.

“Orion, who is your mate?”

Orion faced him with a rueful smile and eyes full of longing.

“Fred Weasley,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are well appreciated! see you guys on the next chapter!XD


	15. Challenge and Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again guys im just gonna leave this chapter for you guys before i suddenly disappear again next week due to exams, let us just hope i will be able to write again another chapter before my exams. (i hope you guys will love this chapter as i was smiling like an idiot as i proofread this before i posted it hahah)XD
> 
> thank you to my beta Authlene..i am always grateful to your help and guidance in my writingXD
> 
> to all those who left kudos, gave my story a read, bookmarked, subscribed and left comments thank you sooo much for giving my story a read i am grateful to you guys!XD

Inside the Ravenclaw Tower, Hermione stomped her way in and the other witches made way for her like the Red Sea. Her bright brown eyes easily found their target. Chang seemed so innocent in the way she looked around to see if she was the one Hermione was clearly pissed off at.

“Is there something wrong, Hermione?” The sweet sickly voice that greeted her when she was close enough to her target made Hermione want to vomit. All eyes were on her in an instant when her aura began seeping out of her person as if she was about to blow.

“Yes.” She sneered.

Ginny, who was there to witness everything, stared in awe as Hermione quickly tried to calm herself down and succeed. Marching with a hot head and flaming emotions was a stupid tactic against someone like Chang after all.

“What is it? Is there something I could do to help you?” she asked easily, her words hiding behind venomous words.

Hermione gave her the same sickening smile so they were mirroring each other’s expressions. “Actually, you are the only one that can help me with this, Cho.”

The Asian’s eyes suddenly widened mockingly. “Really?” Chang said, voice low in fake surprise. “Wow, this is going to be nostalgic. Just like the old times right, ‘Mione?”

Something flickered in the depth of Hermione’s eyes as memories of the same shy and kind Cho Chang resurfaced in her mind. This was her weakness. She couldn’t help but see the times she and Cho spent together when they were children. Both raised to be to the possible successor of the Witch Clan.

Hermione clenched her fists. It hurt but it wasn’t like she cared anyway. So she picked her wand and pointed it towards Cho Chang who blinked at it. This time, she wasn’t kidding when her brows furrowed in confusion, her eyes screaming disbelief.

“What—Are you challenging me?” Chang’s voice came out shaky and a bit betrayed, but Hermione just looked at her with eyes full of sadness and conviction. Her eyebrows were scrunched up though, showing just how much the gesture inwardly pained her as well.

“Yes.”

Gasps were heard from all around the Common Room. Soon it turned into hushed whispers and after a little while, their Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, appeared when she felt the fissions of magic in the Common Room.

“What is happening here, Miss Granger?” Her voice brought a complete silence within the Ravenclaws. They all turned towards Hermione in unison, waiting for her response.

“I, Hermione Granger, challenge Cho Chang to bestow a suitable punishment to her for her crimes against her fellow Witches.”

Another bout of gasps ensued. It was fewer than before though because the witches that were born Dark went silent. Good thing only the older ones were awake at that time.

McGonagall could not believe what she just heard. She never expected such behavior from Granger of all people, but this was something she couldn’t stop. The Challenge had been said. The only thing they all could do was wait for Chang to either accept or refuse.

The answer came after a beat of silence.

“I—I refuse, Hermione,” the other witch said, head hanging low. “I couldn’t fight you. We’re friends and besides, I don’t have any crimes. I did nothing.”

When the last word left Chang’s mouth, it took Hermione everything in her to not start throwing hexes. Bloody hell did she meant by that?!

_Couldn’t fight her? Friends? Did nothing?!_

Even Ginny who couldn’t directly see Chang’s oh-so-innocent expression was growling in anger. The only thing that stopped her was Luna’s hand that held her by the wrist and the knowledge that this was Hermione’s fight. If Hermione could not prove that she is strong and would stand for what is right despite everything, then she would lose the support of the Dark Witches and she would fail once again.

When she could finally word something between gritted teeth, Hermione’s voice wavered at first. “Why?” She took a deep breath before she steeled herself and looked at Chang in the eye. “To a witch, her magic is her everything. Her very being. It is what makes her who she is. Yet, how—how could you stomach to drain multiple witches for their magic only leaving them with the average amount of magic!?”

Even McGonagall gasped at that.

It was silent again after that. The other Ravenclaws who couldn’t move from their places looked between the two witches with varying degree of worry and apprehension. That was until Chang’s body began to shake. At first, McGonagall thought she was crying because of the sudden accusing words of Miss Granger. But, Merlin, was she wrong.

Chang titled her head back as she laughed maniacally.

It felt like forever until she stopped and sneered. “Ah~h. Since when did you know of that place?” Then, with a frown, she regarded all the dark witches around who instantly took a step back. “Did one of you rat me out like the vermin you all are?”

“None of them told me,” Hermione gritted out, finally seeing her friend letting out her true colours.

“Hmm… No wonder I have been having the feeling that someone has been watching and following me. That was you, huh? You were not very subtle, ‘Mione.” She clasped her hand at her back as she giggled. “Oh, and you asked me why? Impure beings like them do not deserve to live, but some of them had a huge amount of magic. I thought of making use of it, you know. It took me quite a lot of time to assure that the magic becomes purified.”

Hermione could not believe that. _How can she just say those things as if it was something trivial?_

But her next words made Hermione shake to the core. Chang’s voice became soft and honest that she was seeing the old Cho from within who she was right now.

“But you know, ‘Mione. I actually did all of this for you.” Hermione’s eyes widened and the others watched with baited breath, awaiting an explanation as to why she did such a thing.

“Wh—at?” Hermione’s voice shook with disbelief.

Chang raised her wand as well and tapped Hermione’s shaking one. “I accept your challenge, Hermione Granger.”

With a blast of magic, a huge dome of barrier appeared around them. The room then shifted to a much bigger space to accommodate their duel and for the onlookers.

“Answer me, Cho!” Hermione shouted as Chang stepped back to give them space for their duel.

“If you win against me then I suppose I will tell you. But if you don’t…” There wasn’t any need for words to that.

Hermione steeled herself once more. She had to win this duel no matter what. She couldn’t let Chang win.

Without a single sound of an argument between them, the duel began. Hermione casted spell after spell and deflected all Chang’s attack one by one. The other witch mirrored her, dodging and casting spells with the intent of crumbling down the enemy.

“You would have to do better than that, Hermione.” Chang was livid, yet beneath her emotions, there was something hiding that Hermione couldn’t understand.

Chang’s magic was growing stronger by the minute and Hermione shouldn’t let that. She immediately masked a binding spell in a flurry of curses and hexes. Chang did not notice it as she deflected it one by one.

Then like a rope at the end of her wand, Hermione pulled on the bind she placed and Chang lost her balance. Hermione bound the other witch again quickly before using _Expelliarmus_ to obtain her wand.

Hermione panted as the duel was over. Had she prolonged it, Chang would’ve used the magic she procured from the other witches to overpower her.

The barrier around them dissipated and the room returned to its usual size. She looked down at a subdued Chang as she then began to speak.

“I had to do it, you know? If we allow dark witches with huge amounts of magic in their bodies challenge us, we will lose,” Chang explained and Hermione shook her head.

“I never wanted to be a leader who will only be in that position because of power. I want to be a leader that one can get along with and help those in need. One who will protect her fellow witches despite their differences in magic. That is who I wanted to be. The reason why I left the dark witches alone was because I thought it would be good for them.” She once again shook her head as she remembered the human’s words that day at the Infirmary. “I was wrong though, and because of that, I have failed you. All of you.”

Chang scoffed at that but something within her shifted, though no one noticed.

“You are naïve, Hermione, and that will be your downfall.”

Hermione then released her from the binding spell before crouching in front of Cho Chang and held her hand at her. “Yes, I am. However, I have all of you, right? Both Light and Dark together in harmony. You all would be there to stop me if ever I am in the wrong, to advise me on what is the best way to handle things. To stop me if ever I lost my way and bring us to destruction.”

Cho’s eyes were filled with tears at the end of Hermione’ speech. She took the offered hand and replied. “Yes... Of course, I will be there.”

Hermione hugged her and held her close.

… 

“She finally did it, don’t you think so, Luna?” Ginny voiced out and waited for the reply of her fellow witch, only to find that Luna was not by her side. She did not think too much on it. She knew how impulsive her friend is. Therefore, she just waited for her to return.

In one of the corridors in the Dormitory of the Ravens, a lone figure walked away with a hand clutching the wall for support as if she was about to faint. Tears slowly streaming from her eyes, a similar yet somehow charmed to be different bracelet clung to her wrist.

“Why now?” Her voice slowly broke at the end. “Why do you have to say all of those things now? It’s too late for me. Way, way too late.”

She entered her room and she stared up at the moon. She felt it, the ringing of the bracelet tightly clamped on her wrist. She easily wiped away her tears as she spelled the door to shut tightly. After that, she sat down in front of a mirror then whispered.

_“Revelare et coniungere.”_

Not too long after, a voice was heard from the two-way mirror. A familiar looking purple hair, red lips quirked up in a grin, appeared.

_“Here I thought you dare to dismiss my summons.”_

Luna was unmoving. She merely looked at the mirror with emotionless eyes as she shook her head and spoke with a cold-trained tone.

“I would never, Master.”

_“So emotionless as usual. How are you, my dear beloved Luna?”_

“I am fine, Master.”

_“I see. Your mate is not giving you a hard time, is she?”_ A cackle was then emitted by the female as she laughed wickedly. _“Don’t worry. The spell I did to you was very similar to my Brother's, though he is much worse. The mate bond was cleanly severed. While I wanted to do that to you, your possible connection to your mate could prove to be a huge advantage to all of us—no, to me. Ah, your Father say’s ‘Hi’, by the way.”_

A flicker of emotion passed through Luna’s eyes.

_“So weak, my Luna. Anyway, continue on what you have been doing for now. Hermione Granger is my rival for the Throne of the Witches after all.”_

An evil glint was seen in the other female’s black eyes as Luna remained cold without any kind of emotions.

_“Though I wonder what she would feel if she finds out that her mate is currently my most prized spy, right my, Luna?”_

Luna did not deny of this as she fully knew her role in the war. When she was young, it was her own mistake of wandering alone in the forest because that was where she was found. With her Father used as an advantage, she was the perfect puppet and no one could ever expect her to be a pawn.

“…And that is all that have occurred here in Hogwarts.” She finished her report of the day with little emotions as possible.

The woman in the other mirror smiled wickedly at her. _"I have sent an owl to you. Use the vial discreetly, I will not forgive failure. Well, I will see you then, my Luna. We will be together soon again, my pet.”_

The connection broke and the mirror reverted to its normal one as Luna released a huge sigh of relief.

“Why do I have to be born your mate, ...Hermione?” She clutched the bracelet that suppressed her connection to Hermione and the bracelet that bounds her to Nymphadora Black.

Tugging her knees to her chin, she hugged her knees tightly as she felt so alone. One wrong move from her and her Father would die. Her tears flowed freely as she wept for the things she could never have.

Her thoughts then drifted to Orion, at how similar their positions were but then she shook her head. Marius. She knew when she was in the infirmary. She felt the power, the magic of the human male. So similar to Nymphadora yet so kind, so gentle. Unlike hers. Something she had never felt before. It was powerful like a heartbeat.

_‘Orion has him after all. At least one of us would have a chance…’_

~~~~~~

Marius was seething with fed up energy. He wanted to blow off some steam. However, he could not do just that. His cousin, as soon as he had calmed himself and assured Marius a dozen of times that he was okay, headed off to the dungeons. He couldn’t do anything after that.

Marius paced the room. It felt so suffocating that he couldn’t think.

If his Aunt truly did sever the link of mates from Orion and Fred Weasley, would it be possible to reconnect it?

He carded his hands through his blond hair. He knew it was so much more messed up than usual, but he did not care. Beau looked agitated as well because somehow, he could feel Marius’ anger and tension.

The human took huge gulps of air as he tried to relax, but to no avail.

_‘How could a Mother do that to her own child? Denying him the only happiness of his life? Denying him the right to have a mate?’_

His energy was fluctuating on the surface of his body. If he did not calm down, a light bulb might pop. Or better, he could break the windows. He needed to get out of the common room. Closed places could never actually calm him down.

Looking down at Beau whose tongue was lolling out of his mouth, he spoke. “Stay here. I just need some air.” He patted the dog who seemed to have calmed down better than he did.

Marius grabbed his school robes after that and went out. It was past curfew, he knew, but he couldn’t care less. He blew air to his fringe to keep it away from his eyes as he headed to the Astronomy Tower to calm himself.

When he arrived, the same exhaustion he felt as usual after the trek up helped him cool off. He leaned against the wall and after a while, he closed his eyes as he let himself be drowned by his previously locked thoughts. He instantly felt tears prickled down his cheek because it _hurt_. He wept for those he could have helped, for those he and his mother could have helped had they not decided to hide.

_‘Was it my fault? If not for me, Mother would have ended the feud between Bellatrix and Andromeda. Was it because of me? Had I not been born, Mother would have never had to disappear. She could have helped in earnest after and before the war. Am I at fault?’_

Something at the back of his mind was screaming. ‘ _Yes, it was your fault. Had you not been born, the war would have been over. Orion would have been saved and Bellatrix would not have been where she is now_.

His hands flew to his face immediately as sobbing sounds broke free from his lips.

_‘Mother and I had the power to stop all of this. Yet, why? Why did Mother hide me so? Why did she stop me from my fate? What did she even meant by it? Why do I have to hide away? Why can I not claim my rightful place as a wizard in the world? Why? Why? Why?’_

He sobbed and sobbed. Until he stopped.

At first, he felt something warm touched his shoulder, causing his tears to slow down and his thoughts to pause. He recognized it as a hand, comforting and so familiar.

When he looked up, it was to see Harry who had an odd expression on his face, like a bit of mixed worry and confusion. It made Marius wondered why he looked like that.

As if having its own mind, his hand found Harry’s cheek. The wolf’s expression changed again after that. Surprise made Harry’s eyes widened slightly before he leaned his head to Marius’ hand.

“Hey, Harry. Why do you have such expressions?” Again, it was as if his body had its own mind, he found himself asking. Or really, maybe it was because Marius just couldn’t think straight. The werewolf replied him, maybe, just as absentmindedly.

“Hey, Marius. Why do you have such expressions?”

Marius blinked and blinked. When he could finally think clearer, there was a faint smile appeared on his face as he let his hand fell away. The smile didn’t last long, however. He finally proceeded that he had let someone witness his vulnerable moment, so hang his head low.

Harry didn’t miss the small slip, though. A millisecond was all he needed to know he wanted to see that smile again, no matter how shocking that fact might be even to himself. He had never felt that way to someone else before, after all.

“Hey,” Harry called softly. And when his hands suddenly moved to cup Marius cheek, mimicking the other’s action before, well, he would blame it on whimsical movements and stupid instinct.  

Marius looked up at that. Driven by pure shock, probably, but Harry’s hand remained on his cheek as they both stared at each other, stunned.

Harry’s eyes were beautiful, Marius concluded easily. He had never thought of spending some time staring at them before, but now he was aware he had been wrong before. As cliché as it sounded, he couldn’t even think of anything else but stare and stare. Funny that he almost thought as if he was being sucked by those pools of green that seemed to be glinting as they reflected the light.

Had Harry’s eyes always been that green before? How could Marius miss that before? Those eyes reminded him so much of the spring fields where he and his Mother used to go and have a picnic. Stunning _._ Beautiful. Tragic.

Marius didn’t know he was crying again until Harry began wiping his tears softly, carefully.

He bit the inside of his cheeks.

Had this werewolf always been this considerate? This… sweet?

How could he miss all of that? _How?_

“Tears do not fit you, Marius.” Even his voice sounded so soothing, so calming. Only his mother ever managed to sound that caring of him before. “Try smiling again, will you? That works better.”

Harry gave him a smile of his own when Marius’ tears immediately stopped. His hands finally moving to swipe back the human’s fringe before falling to his side.

A small chuckle escaped Marius almost unconsciously, followed by a small, sincere smile. “You’re horrible, _Potter_.”

“Hey, now.” The werewolf had the tendency to look sheepish. “Sorry. I don’t really know what to say. Hermione always said I’m much better at expressing my feelings through actions rather than words.”

Marius hummed at that as he stared at the wolf who fidgeted at his scrutiny. He couldn’t have said the werewolf actually did a magnificent job at calming him down so bluntly now, could he? He had more than enough embarrassment of the day.

He changed the topic instead. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“I always come here to think.” Marius quirked up his eyebrow as if shocked. Harry scoffed amusedly. “I’m just kidding.”

Marius rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

They fell into a comfortable silence soon after.

Well, a comfortable silence in the outside only. Inwardly, Marius was arguing with himself.

Because of the unexpected gesture, Harry gave him just then, something within him wanted to know what would happen if Harry learned the truth about who he really is. Would he be hated by those green eyes if he found out that he was really the Draco Black he had been looking for all along? Would those eyes lock him in a heated glare, look at him with disappointment, or drown him in the blame for the things that he could have done if he had shown himself earlier? 

So, he braced himself for the answer.

“Hey, Harry,” he called carefully.

The wolf hummed in reply. “Yeah?”

Marius locked his eyes at the ground beneath him that suddenly looked more interesting than ever. “What…” he took a breath, “what would you do if Draco Black is closer than you think?”

Silence. It wasn't a deafening one, nor was it like the previous one. Marius couldn't help but bit the inside of his cheeks again.

Fortunately, Harry broke it not long after. He approached Marius rather hurriedly, closing the two feet gap they unconsciously made after Marius had calmed down. Marius then braced himself to be shaken for information. Oh, how wrong he was when Harry suddenly asked, “What do you mean?”

Marius sighed in defeat. “I meant, Harry…” His eyes easily found those green orbs again. They were still shining despite the place they were in. again, _so beautiful._ Marius felt like taking back what he said about those eyes having the same color as the Killing Curse.

Then, his mind came to a halt. ‘ _Wait—what? How do I know the color of the Killing Curse?’_

Biting his lip unconsciously and lost in his thoughts, Marius was only snapped back to reality when he heard a groan coming from Harry. His head was on his knees and he seemed to be looking down.

The werewolf watched as Marius called his name again. The sound of it was so right and perfect coming from the human’s lips. And then, suddenly Marius stared right at him in the eyes and he couldn't help but get lost in smoking gray irises that were both gorgeous and mystifying at once.

He was so worried—no, _panicked_ when he saw the blond cried before. He was wanted to know what caused such thing so desperately that he shocked even himself.

Harry didn’t even realize that he leaned in closer and closer to Marius’ face. Maybe it was because those eyes gravitated him or maybe he was just so screwed in the head somehow. Whatever that was, he quickly regained his body control or else, Merlin knew he would do something he wasn’t supposed to do. Like, kissing Marius, maybe.

Bloody hell. He was screwed indeed. Where was that thought come from?! Did Professor Snape whack him hard enough to make him this delirious? Or maybe the house elf put something silly in his meal?

He looked away after that and sat beside the blond, leaning against the wall. His eyes were dead set trained on the wall without any intent of straying anytime soon.

 “Uh... So, you were saying?” Well, at least he didn’t stutter. Or worse, squeaking.

Marius hummed for a bit. “I said, what would you do if Draco is here, at Hogwarts?"

“Well, I would convince him to help us,” the werewolf replied simply.

“But what if he doesn’t want to? What if he says it’s not his war or he doesn’t want anything to do with the war?”

Harry bit his lip in thought and Marius soundlessly swallowed the nervousness that rose from his belly.

‘ _What if Harry gets mad? Would he blame me if I told him all I ever did is to fulfill my promise to Mother?’_

His thoughts were once gain interrupted when Harry spoke and finally looked at him.

“Then, I will let him be.”

At that, Marius instantly jumped from his seating position, face painted with disbelief. “What?!”

Harry chuckled before he tugged the sleeve of Marius’s robes to make him sit down in front of him. The werewolf then let out a sincere smile and Marius thought he would love to see that kind of smile directed at him more often.

“What I meant is, I would not force him, Marius. He does not deserve that. I understand.” Harry leaned back on the solid wall behind him. “Ever since I was born, I was fated to be the Dark Lord’s bane. Responsibilities and stuff were pushed on me since a young age. I have never felt freer than when I am here at Hogwarts. So if he ever decides not to help, then that’s his decision and I will respect it.” He looked back at Marius with those green eyes and Marius could not help but feel sad for him.

_‘Orion was not the only one suffering through all of this. We all are. Why does fate have to be this cruel to us?’S_

“You don’t want him to be tied down by fate just like you are?” Marius asked.

Harry nodded, his smile growing fonder.

Marius' heart stopped for a second at the sight before he quickly looked away and bit his lip. His vision began to blur right after, but he shouldn't let himself cry. Not anymore. He had to be tough because for sure, more cruel things were to come after him. He had to stand strong for everyone, for himself, for _Mother._

Still, Harry’s acceptance of his fate pained him.

He was about to stand up when suddenly, he felt strong arms enveloped him in warmth. He froze before the feeling of care, of protectiveness and affection, put him at ease. Marius knew then, without Harry saying anything, that everything would be alright. That it was okay to be strong and to _feel_ at the same time. That sometimes, accepting sadness wouldn’t be a weakness.

Marius released a soft sigh as he let his head fell onto Harry’s shoulder.

There, he let himself cry again. He cried for everyone, for himself, for _Mother._

But mostly, he cried for nothing.

_…_

They stayed like that for a while, surrounded by a bubble of lulling heartbeats and light feelings.

Harry even dared himself to card his fingers through Marius messy blond locks, making the other hummed in appreciation and sleepiness. Marius had never felt this comfortable in a long time. His breathing was coming even and when he was about to close his eyes, Harry’s warmth disappeared. He was then faced with Harry and another one of his fond smiles.

“Hey, sleepyhead. I am not carrying you to Hufflepuff.” He then put on a show of thinking something. “Unless you want to be carried like a sack of potatoes, then sure. I will carry you. Or maybe you want to be carried like a princess instead?”

That woke Marius up enough to let him send the silly werewolf a glare. “You— _you!_ ”

Harry laughed merrily at him. “Adorable. Come on, I’ll walk you to Hufflepuff.”

Before Marius could say anything, he was dragged by Harry down the stairs. Harry looked so happy that Marius could not break out any words back but a smile plastered itself on his lips as he looked at their hands—entwined like their fates itself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys loved this drarry scene and my sudden bomb on who Hermione's mate is as i did writing it. comments and kudos are always welcome and appreciatedXD


	16. Begin Anew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hope you guys enjoy this chapter as i did writing itXD
> 
> Thanks to my beta Authlene again!
> 
> And a huge many thanks to all those who gave this story a read, bookmarked, left some kudos, commented, subscribed you guys are awesome, you guys give me motivation..anyways onwards to the chapterXD

Breakfast was in full swing the following morning.

Marius, as usual, sat beside Orion who was only nitpicking his food. It wasn’t like he could consume it anyway. He was only there for appearances. Blaise and Theo were a bit late, though, so it was only the two of them in their usual seat when Pansy began to taint their quiet morning with her moodiness. Marius didn’t even know why she did such thing and it wasn’t like he wanted to know anyway. He was busy with his own mental debates. So, when she suddenly realized Marius was playing absentmindedly with his hands and trying a bit too hard to not glance every few second to a certain table, Marius couldn’t decide whether he was happy she finally lifter her mood or not.

There was an annoying smirk on her face now. Well, maybe the moodiness was the lesser of two evils.

“Oh my, Marius. Who caused you such unnatural behavior?”

Marius flinched at that. He hastily brought his hand down as a blush spread across his features. He looked at no one as he replied, Pansy who yawned and Orion who looked at him curiously.

“No one,” he hastily said.

A few footsteps were then heard, signaling the presence of the two late vampires who seated themselves next to Pansy, in front of Orion and Marius.

“Did something interesting happen?” Blaise teased in a lieu of greeting. “Marius looks a bit red.”

Theo gave a small smile as he began to gather up food in his plate. The look he gave Marius was absolutely unbearable.

“Nothing happened,” the human stubbornly stated.

Orion hummed as he placed his fork down on the table then wiped his lips with a napkin before he began to ask. “So, what happened between you and Potter?”

The whole group stopped in their chatter and began to peer their eyes at Marius who looked even redder in the face. It was actually impressive if someone asked. It couldn't be just anything to trigger such reaction from the otherwise formidable human.

Orion’s eyes sharpened at that. It looked like he needed to fully warn Potter to stay away from Marius. He wouldn’t allow his cousin to get hurt when the bastard finally found his mate.

After finally calming his cheeks down to a somewhat healthy shade of red, Marius mumbled, “Nothing.”

Oh, Potter was so going to hear from him, Orion decided.

The vampire then held his cousin’s shoulder, making the younger male stare up at him. “Marius, promise me you won’t cross the line with Potter,” he said firmly.

A blink and two, then a tilt of the head.

Orion internally sighed as he rephrased his sentence. “Promise me you won’t date the git.”

Marius’ body went instantly rigid as shock began to spread up in his eyes. There was also a flash of hurt that Orion could clearly see, but for the sake of Marius himself, Orion had to do this.

The human, on the other hand, could not understand why Orion was doing this to him. He did not even like Harry that way, but _still_. There was something about Harry that just pulled him in and Marius was curious as to what that connection was. He wanted to know more about it. He felt safe just being by Harry’s side, something that Marius has not felt in a long while.

“Why does it matter to you?” Marius’ voice was icy when he spoke again. It even made the others he did not address shivered simultaneously.

Orion released a sigh he was holding, those silver eyes could slash him any moment but his resolve was also firm. If anyone could hold Marius in a stubborn competition, it had to be him. They were from the same blood after all.

“I don’t want you ending up hurt when he finds his mate,” he said matter of factly.

This time, the surprise was painted all over Marius' face. _Of course,_ the human mentally chided himself. He almost forgot about that. In this world, unlike the Muggle realm, they had mates. How could he not remember something so vital? But well, once again, it wasn’t like he liked Harry that way. Or so he told himself.

Marius then slowly removed Orion’s hands from his shoulders before folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Seriously, though, since when did you become a love expert?”

Blaise and Pansy’s loud giggles then began to fill the space as soon as the question left Marius’ mouth. Even Theo looked like he couldn’t really keep his laughter to himself as Orion’s ears turned bright red.

After a few more teasing to poor Orion, they left the ‘Marius and Harry’ matter alone.

But it seemed like the human’s mind couldn’t really move on from it as the thought of mate began swirling inside and left a stabbing pain in his chest when the truth edged closer to his well-guarded heart. He tried to shrug it off. He almost failed.

…..

Hermione sat in one of the couches of Ravenclaw Common Room as she waited for the High Witch’s arrival. The students who were not a part of the said punishment were sent to breakfast by Professor McGonagall. Cho Chang sat rigidly along with Padma Patil and Marietta Edgecomb beside her.

The flame roared to life and out came Andromeda Black. Her face was as stern as her eyes that darted around the room. All of them stood up in greeting and she dusted off soothe that was surely not on her robes.

“At such dire times, you dare to interrupt me.” Her voice was icy as she spat the words.

The girls bowed their heads except for Hermione who gave her bow of respect. The Headmaster soon entered the Room along with Professor McGonagall. The High Witch sat with all her grace in one of the couches and her eyebrow rose at the direction of Cho Chang and her friends.

“So, care to explain to me what happened here?” She looked toward Hermione and she sat down along with the others as she told her what occurred.

When it was over, the color of the room tuned dark red as if feeling the rage that Andromeda was feeling right now. She turned her sharp eyes at the three Ravenclaws before she stood up and shouted, "Where is the Dark Witch that has tainted you, Cho? Tell me!”

“What?” Cho Chang squeaked out when the words fully registered to her.

“High Witch, if you please, Miss Chang was the one who did the deed yet why are you searching for a Dark Witch?” Minerva began to ask and a glare was then turned to her.

“You have no right to speak, Dark Witch. You must’ve tainted your students to push Cho to do such acts, didn’t you?”

Hermione wanted to protest but she knew doing so would only make the matter worse. Though, this was where she fully saw just how biased their High Witch is.

“I beg your pardon.” Minerva began to stand up at her full height, fully prepared to duel the Light Witch who insulted her own kind along with her.

Andromeda turned her gaze toward the headmaster. “I apologize for my sudden outburst, but it truly seems like this school needs to be purged fully from dark witches, Albus.”

The Headmaster stood up at that. “Hogwarts is created for all, Andromeda. Even if it were you to request it, it cannot happen.”

“Don’t you see? It’s because of those Dark Witches that still linger that taints us Light Witches into doing such things! Cho was merely wanting power and it’s the Dark Witches fault for corrupting her into doing this!”

Cho Chang’s eyes widened at this. She was confused. It was as if the High Witch blamed the Dark Witches about what she had done when she knew it was her own self that made her do the deed.

“NO!”

Every pair of eyes snapped to Cho’s direction as she stood up and the High Witch now began to glare at her.

“The Dark witches did not tempt me into doing anything. It was by my own will that I did what I have done. No one is at fault but me. So please, Headmaster, expel me but please allow Padma and Marietta to stay here at Hogwarts.”

Andromeda was about to retort, to say that she is wrong, but Hermione stood up.

“Please, Headmaster, give them another chance. I was at fault too for not keeping an eye on things,” Hermione pleaded as well.

Cho’s eyes were filled with tears along with Padma and Marietta who looked sorry for what they had done. Hermione did not expect the High Witch to act this way nor Chang. It was unlike her to take the blame.

“Miss Granger, Miss Chang. The deed that has been done is far too great for me to forgive. If I were to allow them, the others might do it again, seeing as they got away unscathed. Forgive me, but I have made up my mind. From now on, Cho Chang is fully expelled from Hogwarts.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Chang replied as she bowed her head, facing her two friends and hugging them both.

“What you are doing is wrong, Albus! Expel a Dark Witch if you please. Get rid of that Professor by your side but not my Light witches from your castle!”

“Andromeda.” The loud booming voice of Albus echoed in the walls of Ravenclaw Tower as silence soon followed.

“I am the Headmaster of this school. Miss Chang has to pay for what she had done to the Dark Witches.”

“But—“

She was once again cut off, but this time by Hermione Granger.

“Please, High Witch, for once in your life open your eyes and see that the Dark Witches are not all that bad and some of us Light witches could also lose our way and commit such acts.”

Andromeda’s lips thinned as she pursed them. Her aura of anger slipping from her form.

“Hermione Granger, soon you will understand that all Dark Witches will always fall to their own path, which is the Darkness. It is you that should wake up from your sweet dreams.” She turned her back at her as she stomped her way to the fireplace. “Cho, come now. I need to fully train you to become High Witch.” She was about to walk away when she saw that Chang didn’t follow her. Andromeda turned her head back to see her standing straight and her eyes filled with defiance.

“No. I, Cho Chang, renounce my right as Heir to the High Witch’s throne of Ravenclaw.” A magical binding contract broke and dissipated into thin air as the mark on her shoulder disappeared.

Andromeda’s eye widened at this. She no longer had any Heirs if she were to renounce Hermione as well. Her eyes turned black full of rage as she proceeded to the fireplace.

“You will regret renouncing your claim, Miss Chang,” she said before she could floo away.

“With this, you and I no longer have to fight for the Crown of High Witch, Hermione.” Chang turned her head at Hermione who looked confused, still struck by what Chang had done.

“Why did you do it?” Hermione’s eyes were sad.

“I don’t deserve it, but you do, Hermione. You could change the world and could have the chance to unite us witches finally. Something no one has accomplished and maybe, just maybe, that will be the key to ending this war.”

Hermione thought hard on what Chang has said.

_‘No, you are wrong. The one who pushed me to change was not me, but the human, Marius.’_

“This is farewell, Hermione. I hope that the next time we meet, you will be the High Witch.” Cho gave a full-blown smile before she ran up her room, soon followed by Marietta and Padma who gave a nod of thanks to her.

“You do not have to worry, Miss Granger. Whatever path Miss Chang walks on now, I’m sure it will be now one full of light,” Professor McGonagall spoke and Hermione broke in a smile.

_‘She is right. We will meet again, Cho.’_

Dumbledore’s eyes glinted at this. For the first time, he saw hope sparkled inside the walls of Ravenclaw. He was sure that when Hermione would finally take her place, she would work her way into making sure that Light and Dark could finally exist with each other in harmony.

…..

The grass of the Quidditch field softly danced along the wind as it blew past. Its silence was then interrupted when a loud whoosh was heard in the air. Harry zoomed in as he caught sight of the snitch; he stretched out his hands to catch the evasive gold.

Finally catching up the snitch in his hands, he twirled in the air before tilting his head up in the sky, eyes closed. His panting and the thrumming of wind were all the noise he heard. After that, he decided to settle down on the grass.

He lay there sprawled, his forearm covering his eyes from the brightness of the sun's rays. His breathing evened out and he felt the cool wind and the grass prickle his ears as they swayed. He heard footsteps approaching him. Staying oblivious as possible, he waited for the right moment. 

As soon as he felt the intruder's presence close to him, he suddenly leaped up and tackled whoever it was to the ground. He held both of the intruder's hands above his head and used his weight to assure that the intruder was pinned to the ground.

He opened his eyes and saw silver shocked eyes staring up at him. His lips were agape, his cheeks a bit flushed. Harry's green eyes darkened at this, he slowly released the hands and placed his own at the sides of those soft blond locks.

He wanted to know what Marius smelt like. Would he smell of spice? Or of the smell of potions? Or the smell of grass? Or mint? He then stared at Marius’ neck where his scent is strongest. He really wanted to know and curiosity got the best of him. It might be one of the reasons why he felt so drawn to the human enigma.

Then without any warning and seeing that Marius was about to speak, he rested his head on his shoulder and he sought the soft spot of Marius' neck. Snuggling his nose there, taking in his nonexistent scent.

He felt Marius squirm at the gesture, but he did not seem bothered by it. Instead, he seemed to welcome it as he tilted his head to the side, giving Harry more access. He then opened his mouth and the warm breath from his mouth made Marius shiver.

Harry then tested his limits when he placed a soft kiss on Marius' neck. He could feel the fast beating of his heart even without his hearing due to their close contact. He felt himself inwardly smile as he learned he had this much effect on Marius.

Harry then pushed himself back and lied on the grass just beside Marius. Then without permission, he took Marius' hand in his and brought it to his nose. He closed his eyes as he smelt no scent on it.

"Why can't I smell your scent?"

At first, there was silence and when he thought Marius was not going to reply, the human’s voice rang.

"Is that the reason why you mauled me to the ground?" Marius said sarcastically and Harry chuckled at this.

"Maybe." Harry heard Marius sigh at that. He still had not taken back his hand from Harry's hand.

Harry smiled as he placed their hands just above his heart. He wanted this—for whatever insane reason, he wanted this.

"Or maybe I just want to lay my claim on you."

Marius' head snapped to face him, eyes wide and full of shock.

"What game are you playing at Harry?" his voice was unsure with a mixture of things Harry could not place.

"What do you mean?" Harry adjusted himself to the side in order to face Marius. Harry noted that whenever Marius was thinking, his eyes would wander and he would bite his lower lip. Then those silver eyes met his green ones and Harry could not think of any better moment than this. He could stare and get lost within those pools of silver forever.

"Is it because of Orion?"

Harry grunted and before Marius could say any more, Harry blurted out. "I'm sorry."

Marius' eyebrow rose at this, then he remembered their argument and he released a tired sigh.

"Ab—“

Harry silenced him by covering Marius' lips with his free hand.

"No, I was wrong." Harry sighed and closed his eyes before opening them and continuing. "Because of some unknown reason, Lestrange seemed much more tamed than before. And that you are right, about all your lectures. We may not be able to change our past, so why not make the change we need in the future here in the present?"

Marius' eyes widened. His silver eyes glistening with something that Harry could not identify. The werewolf felt his face began to heat up, so he opted to look away. His eyes only returned to Marius when he heard a chuckle from the blond.

Marius smiled at him, his eyes crinkling with amusement. He suddenly placed his hand on Harry's cheek.

"It seems like I must be rubbing off on you, Avada." His voice was teasing and Harry knew he was already forgiven.

"Don't call me Avada."

Marius' smile lit up a fire within Harry that he could not understand. He felt like he was lighter than air and his stomach constricted with giddiness. He was broken out of his thoughts when a chuckle was again heard from Marius.

_'God, I could listen to that every living moment of my life.'_

"Ah, I really am rubbing off on you, aren't I, Harry?"

The way Marius said his name made his wolf purr in delight. It looked like he wasn't the only one enamored by Marius. He leaned closer but before he could attempt to claim those plump lips, Marius suddenly sat up. He began to rub his eyes showing his sleepiness.

"What, didn't sleep well?"

Marius nodded his head and Harry felt a bit hurt by it. The human still had not told him why he was crying that night. He frowned at that but when Marius looked down at him with a dazzling smile, he pushed off his uneasiness away.

"You could use me as a pillow.” Harry gestured to himself.

"Yeah I could use you as a pillow and I won't need a blanket because your warmth is sufficient, but honestly you're sweaty."

Harry chuckled. Releasing Marius' hand, he stood up. He could feel those gray eyes watching him. He grinned widely then turned towards Marius, offering his hand.

"I will see you at the Astronomy Tower?"

Marius gave him a knowing smile as he took Harry’s hand to stand up from his previous position. "Sure. Besides we have a lot to talk about."

Harry raised his eyebrow at this.

"I have things I need to tell you and I want to ask a favor from you."

Harry smiled widely. "Gladly, Marius.”

After that, they went separate ways but before Marius' figure was gone, Harry watched him with eyes of longing. When Marius was no longer to be seen, he headed to the shower room with a smile on his lips.

Beneath an alcove overseeing the Quidditch field, a shadow loomed over. Hidden behind a disillusionment charm, a watchful eye gazed upon them. Hanging on her neck disillusioned to be a normal necklace was a vial. She clutched it tightly making her hand bleed as the crescent patterns of her nails dug to her palm. She closed her eyes. Thinking of what she had to do only brought her sorrow. She had no choice but to follow her Master’s orders, lest her Father would die.

….

“I commend your stamina for being able to reach the top of this tower,” Harry teased Marius as he reached the top of the Astronomy Tower with no sweat at all. He was not even panting.

Harry watched as the platinum hair were blown back and realized that Marius loved staring at the distance, especially at the top of this tower. Harry smiled at himself. That was the Marius that only he knew and he felt a bit giddy just knowing that.

“The scenery is worth it despite the hardship of climbing the long staircase of this tower.” Marius faced Harry with a faint smile on his lips as he tucked strands of his hair behind his ear.

“Yes, it truly is beautiful,” Harry voiced out even though his eyes never once strayed away from Marius. No one of them wanted to break the trance that they were in. But then, something screamed at the back of Marius’ head reminding him of the reason why he was there to speak with Harry in the first place. He opted to look away once again.

Harry saw that and realized that it must have been so awkward. He scratched the back of his neck due to his nervousness then he began to say. “So what do you want to ask?”

Marius' eyes snapped back to meet his and they were now different than the one Harry saw a while ago. Those silver eyes turned more steel-like and serious.

 “Can I have your word that whatever it is that I ask and tell you stays between us only?” Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but he nodded his head.

“Say it.” Marius’ voice was soft and Harry thought that the issue might be concerning Draco Black.

“You have my word, Marius.” He was rewarded by a rare smile from Marius in return.

“Orion was given a mission by the Dark Lord.”

Harry’s blood turned cold, he never knew that the vampire was marked already; he merely noticed his sudden change in character.

“What?”

Marius held up his hand to stop Harry’s tirade of questions and allow him to continue. The werewolf seemed reluctant but he allowed Marius to do so.

“He had no choice in the matter knowing who his father is. His mission is to kill the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.”

Harry's knuckles were now turning white, though what he could not understand was why Marius was telling him off all these things but still he was thankful. He could stop Lestrange. Before Harry knew it, he was now walking to go down the tower but one thing stopped him, his wrist was held by a cold hand.

“Sorry, I unconsciously—” Harry said and Marius shook his head in understanding.

“It’s okay. Harry, what I ask of you is to help us find an object.” Harry was confused once again but Marius continued, “Ravenclaw’s Chamber. It contains a grimoire inside. It has a potion that can induce a fake death that will allow Orion succeed in his mission and will also help Headmaster Dumbledore to live.”

“What?” Harry furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re asking me to help Lestrange succeed in his mission?”

“Yes. Listen to me, Harry.” Marius could see that Harry is about to reject his offer but he had to convince Harry. He had to. “Even if Orion were to fail, do you think that the Dark Lord’s followers will just let this go? No. You and I both know that they won’t stop, not until he is dead because he is one of the pillars that seals their master. They will do whatever it takes to kill him next time and at that next time, they will assure that he is _truly_ dead.” He held Harry’s arms as he looked him straight in the eye. There weren’t any lies in what he had just uttered and he could see the wheels in Harry’s head whirring. "This time, through Orion, we could stop the Headmaster from dying, _permanently,_ and save two lives.”

“I can’t just trust your word about Lestrange, Marius. Despite me seeing that he has changed, it still does not erase the past that I have with him.”

“Then, will you do it in exchange for having a conversation with Draco Black?”

Marius was already laying all his cards on the table.

“You would betray your friend just for Lestrange?”

“No. It is not betrayal, Draco asked me to help Orion.” Another lie.

“Why?” Harry’s mind was in a dilemma. He was asking himself what is the connection of Lestrange and Black.

“Because they are cousins, Orion’s Mother is Bellatrix.” Marius did not expect to let that information be free but it seemed that Harry is as stubborn as they say that he had to use all of his arsenals just to convince him.

“Then that just makes him more of my enemy, Marius! That witch was the one who destroyed countless lives, Marius, and you are asking me to trust Orion.”

“Yes,” Marius replied back easily then his eyes met green once again. “Listen to me, Harry. If this plan works, no one has to die. Do you think this was easy for Orion? Hell, Harry, he gave up everything just to do this.”

“Then why did he take the mark in the first place?”

“He had no choice Harry, his life is in danger.”

“So he is just being selfish and saving his own arse, huh?”

“His mate’s life is also in danger. If he does not do this, his mate will be killed.”

“I can’t just trust Orion.”

"Then trust _me_. I swear to you, Harry. Draco Black will give you the protection your land needs.”

“Why? Why is it that you care about Orion so much?”

“He reminds me of you.”

“Of me?” Marius nodded and gave a faint smile and Harry’s doubt seems to waste away. Then Marius explained. “Both of you are trapped. Him by his family and you by fate. But unlike you, he never had the support he needed. You have your family, your pack, your friends and your allies with you and where does that leave him? He is alone and lost Harry, and I for one know what that feeling is. Don’t you think that it is better to have more allies than enemies? He is about to take a huge leap of faith. Harry, please, don’t let him fall. I at least want to give him a choice. I want to help him, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes widened at that. Seeing the way Marius looked as he spoke about Orion, made him felt like a splinter had just grown and stabbed him somewhere.

“You love him, don’t you?”

“Like one would love a brother.”

Harry couldn't help but feel a relief in his heart that he could not comprehend.

“Then, yes.”

Marius’ eyes sparkled and unconsciously, he hugged Harry which made them topple to the ground. Harry released a grunt when his back hitting the brick floor but it was worth it. He returned the hug as he heard a dozen _‘thank you’s’_ from Marius. He just hoped that he made the right choice, but the way those silver eyes met his, he knew he did. Marius would never betray him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think? thanks again!XD


	17. The Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sudden update for today since i might get busy again the following weeks, though i will try my best to finish up another chapter on monday and if sempai will not be busy, she can beta it and i will be able to update again!
> 
> and quick question: who here is a klance shipper?  
> since Authlene-sempai made a fanfic (of which i was dragged lol just kidding i was happy to help her in her fic) of it titled Hearte here is the link(http://archiveofourown.org/works/11090706/chapters/24741282) you guys can go check it out if you want its an awesome fic
> 
> to my awesome beta Authlene-sempai thanks againXD
> 
> And to all of you who read, gave time to comment, left kudos, subscribed and bookmarked this story i am always grateful to you guys, you all give me motivation!XD

CHAPTER 16: The Search

Hermione walked through the empty hallways, her shoes clicking on the stone floor. She was wearing casual clothes and was preparing to go to the Library to return a tome she borrowed before. The sun shone bright as a new day came, uniting her House could take a lot of work but she believed that she could do it.

Suddenly, she stopped from her walk to look up at the ceiling of the hallway, only to see a familiar vampire seemingly taking a nap. Theodore Nott sat in one of the beams, his foot crossed with each other and his one hand hanging and the other was placed on his stomach as a book was rested on his face, balanced.

“Don’t you have anywhere better to sleep in, Nott?” Hermione voiced out, knowing that the vampire heard her loud and clear. The hand that was hanging suddenly picked up the book from his face as drowsy eyes awoke. Soon, they found Hermione’s brown eyes and the vampire gave a small lazy smile. Hermione’s eyebrow rose at this, not knowing what made the vampire so amused.

Theo looked down at Hermione as he answered. “I like it here.” He then sat up properly before jumping down, his robes billowing after him as he fell right in front of the witch. Hermione did not flinch at this, which made Theo grin even more.

“Apologies, if I ever did woke you up,” Hermione began.

Theo merely yawned as he stretched. He shook his head. “It’s perfect actually. I was supposed to meet Marius and the others at Hufflepuff…” He then took out his pocket watch only to have his eyes widening and he replied. “…10 minutes ago.” He released a sigh as he tucked the book under his arm. He was about to run to Hufflepuff dorm when Hermione’s question stopped him from his tracks.

“What do you want from me?”

Theo’s head easily snapped to Hermione’s direction. His eyes were sharp and he looked as if his mind was ignited as he watched Hermione. She did not back down and waited for the vampire to speak.

“Well, I suppose I should let you in now since we do need your help. Follow me, Granger.”

Hermione was confused at this but followed the vampire anyway. They arrived at the Hufflepuff Common Room and as soon as Hermione went inside, her eyes widened at the scene she saw. Harry was there, sitting on the couch, clearly glaring at the one who sat in front of him. Next to him, sat an annoyed looking Ron. When Hermione looked at who was across the two, she saw that Lestrange was there. Beside him was the human enigma.

Zabini sat at one of the love seats along with Neville Longbottom who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Meanwhile, Parkinson leaned on one of the passages that seem to lead to the quarters, boring holes at the back of Ron’s head which the werewolf seemed to ignore.

“You have got to be kidding me. _Granger_?” Orion began as he seemed to have smelt her scent as soon as she entered the room, making everyone look at them at the doorway.

“She owes me. Besides, having the Leader of the Ravens by our side makes the plan attainable, don’t you think?”

Marius’ eyes glazed over at Hermione and she knew she was being assessed. Then, a small smile appeared on the human’s face. He then stood up and offered Hermione a seat.

Hermione decided to seat herself beside Ron which made Parkinson’s eye twitched a bit. The female vampire then began to move. She sat right next to Marius, crossing her legs along with her hands as she leaned on the back of the couch.

“Nott, care to explain?” Hermione began as the vampire took a seat at one of the chairs, making himself comfortable.

“This concerns the matter that you owe me.”

The vampire then began to talk about their plan along with Marius telling them about the Potion, the Chamber, and the Grimoire. Harry did not seem fazed by this. He had heard everything from Marius already, so he just sat there, arms crossed and holding a staring competition with Lestrange. It was soon broken when Ron’s voice brought him back.

“You agreed to this Harry?” the werewolf asked and Harry nodded.

“Yes.”

Of course Ron was shocked. His eyes darted back and forth from Marius to his alpha. He sighed. He could understand why they had to do it; they could gain a lot from this plan and lose nothing at all.

“Then you have my support, Harry.”

Harry looked a bit taken aback, expecting Ron to protest. Ron seemed to have understood this and so he began to explain. “Look, I can understand him a bit. His mate, his life, and the Headmaster's life are on the line. Besides if he were to try to kill the Headmaster for real, we have the highest possibility that we can stop him before he could execute it. So, it’s like killing two birds with one stone because whether we agree or not, we still gained something from it.”

Almost all eyes widened except for Marius’ as they heard how Ron explained it.

Pansy began to release a cackle and she teased. “Ha! Never expected that.” She grinned at Ron whose eyes widened before he looked away, a tinge of red gracing his ears.

“Oh, Pans. I think you just made him blush!” Blaise began to tease as well.

Ron began to retort at him with no malice at all. “Shut it Zabini!”

A smile graced Marius’ lips as he watched, eyes filled with something that Harry could not understand the longer he stared at the blonde. But then his eyes darted at Lestrange when he realized the vampire was full on glaring at him at the moment. He glared back.

“What about you Granger?” Theo asked and now all eyes were on her. Her hands were folded on her lap as she was looking down, clearly in deep thought.

“I will take the risk as well. I would rather we succeed in this plan than to have the Headmaster dying because if he does…" She looked at Harry.

His expression was solemn. “Gryffindor Lands would be a war zone.”

Hermione nodded and Ron’s fists tightened. They knew what would happen. The war would fall upon Gryffindor Lands once again, but this time they would hunt down two heads—James and Lily Potter’s heads.

“Draco Black will prevent that from happening.”

Harry’s words froze the whole room and immediately Orion’s head snapped towards Marius. His eyes met his cousin’s and a small smile was given to him. An assurance. Orion looked away, hiding his panic as he heard those words.

“You found him, Harry?” Ron said, hope igniting his very veins and a smile was plastered on his face as Harry then regarded Marius.

“He and Marius knew each other.”

With that, Ron’s eyes widened. His eyes darted to the human who just gave him a sheepish smile. “Bollocks! We have been searching for quite some time and the only way to find him was right in front of us?” Ron stood up and as he did, he felt faint at the bundle of information suddenly flowing to his brain that he fell to the couch dramatically.

"Though you can't share that information with anyone else outside this room,” Marius said.

Ron sat up again and answered. “Why? We have to inform our Pack about this. They have the right to know.”

Pansy butted in before Marius or Orion could even speak. “And let the whole world know that Marius is the key to finding Draco?” Pansy said as she was staring at her fingernails. Her eyes then darted to Ron who seemed to look at her with narrowed eyes.

“You have to understand. If your pack stops in the search for Draco, the Dark Lord’s followers would be suspicious.” Theo began and Blaise finished what he was about to say.

“He would be tortured for information.”

At that. Harry's blood ran cold. He looked towards Marius who stared down as if in deep thought.

Hermione closed her eyes before nodding in understanding. “We cannot allow them to find Draco before we do. Because if they do, Draco Black will be instantly killed and the Blood Ward of Gryffindor Lands will fall.”

They all knew the danger and they all remained silent as if processing the knowledge they had just learned. Harry’s eyes kept on looking at Marius, but the human kept on staring down at his lap, watching his knotted hands.  

“How do we find the Chamber anyway?” Harry said some time after that.

Ron nodded his head as if saying he wondered about the same thing.

All eyes looked to Marius and the human replied. “You know Narcissa’s scent, right?”

With that, the two Werewolves understood and Hermione put up her own suggestion. “I will do my own research as well and try to track it through magic. However, the problem is how do we open it?” Gray eyes met hers and an assurance in those eyes made Hermione think that they could do it.

“Only those of Black blood and those that the Chamber deems worthy.”

Hermione gasped at this.

“A trial for those not of Black blood.”

Marius nodded. Hermione was then scouring her thoughts for any information about the Chamber.

Theo came from behind them to place a huge map of the Castle on the coffee table and it showed some red x marks on it, showing where they have tried to search for the Chamber.

“And that is how far we have been into.”

Everyone began talking about possibilities. On the side, seeing them all getting along even for a moment brought a small smile to Marius’ lips. Meanwhile, Harry could not keep his eyes off Marius. It was a good thing Lestrange’s glare had gone when he talked to the others about his own search.

Suddenly, Marius looked up, a smile on his face. He caught Harry's gaze. There were sparks in his gray eyes that Harry could not seem to decipher. The longer they stared at each other, Harry found his heart began to beat erratically.

With great force, he tore his eyes away. “Then shall we begin the search?” he said in an attempt at keeping his mind off Marius. Everyone in the room seemed to brighten up as they all shouted their chorused _‘Yes’_.

Hermione watched the human who seemed happy. His eyes had that glints in the light and Hermione now understood why the vampires around him were all very closely attached to him. The way that he could tackle any kind of obstacles in his way, not choosing any of the given choices but instead making his own answer to the problem—Hermione found that she respected the human.

“Wait. Before we begin all this search thingy, I have to ask.”

All eyes then were directed to Ron as he stood up, his features looking serious.

“Go on. Ron,” Hermione said and they all waited with baited breath on what the red-head was about to say.

“Why is Neville so touchy-touchy with Zabini?”

The vampires were all groaned, thinking that it was something overly important. Blaise grinned though as he placed his arms around Neville’s shoulders, making the werewolf blush hard.

“Now you get it?” said Hermione, rolling her eyes. She had already known as soon as she noticed the vampire and the werewolf were close in a different way that one would notice to be mates.

“Seriously, mate. I thought there was another huge problem, that was all?” Harry huffed but then Neville’s voice made Harry’s eyes snap to him.

“You’re not mad at me for being mates with a Vampire?” His eyes were wide and unbelieving but all Harry did be gave a small smile as he shook his head.

“Mates are the life-blood of our lives itself. It is what we search for in our whole lives,” Harry said this sincerely not knowing unconsciously that a certain human suddenly stiffened at this. The word rang in his head as he stared at the werewolf wide-eyed before he masked it away with indifference.

Neville smiled at the acceptance and Blaise side-hugged him with all the affection he could give out at that moment.

“You’re right, Potter. Don’t you think so, Weasley?” Pansy said as she smirked. She wallowed in a win as Ron swallowed and looked away, blushing yet again. Then Marius saw the way Harry looked at Blaise and Neville and he could see the longing he had— _he longs for his mate._

Marius felt as if he does not belong in that room suddenly. It was becoming cramped for him and he wanted to go to the Astronomy Tower once again to breathe. He felt like this was the world telling him that, there are just some things in this world that one could want but never have. His fists clenched as he looked away from Harry. The only ones who seemed to have noticed this was Hermione and Orion who were observant. Hermione met Orion’s eyes for a second and Hermione nodded as she then began to stand up.

“Well, shall we begin the search, then? I will have to go to the Library to scour for more information,” she addressed them all and Marius wanting to get out, stood up as well.

“I’ll go with.”

Hearing that, Harry wanted to join them to spend more time with Marius. Before he could say anything, Orion’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Then Potter and I will begin our search too. Theo, you go with Marius.” Harry’s eyes went wide as he looked at Orion and the other just stared back with a glare. Orion continued talking, not taking off his glare at the werewolf. “Blaise and Weasley. Pansy and Longbottom.”

There were a few grunts of disapproval but as soon as Hermione spoke, everything became final. “Well, now that is settled, let’s go Marius, Nott.”

Theo, Hermione, and Marius walked away, not sparing any glance. Harry’s eyes followed Marius back until the door was now closed.

Blaise whistled. “Wow, since when?” he said to no one but himself and Harry’s head snapped to his direction. The vampire just gave him a grin before he spoke again. “Careful there, Potter. That is our Marius.”

Harry was about to protest that Marius did not belong to anyone but Pansy did not even allow him.  “We leave you to Orion’s hands. Or claws.” She laughed as she walked out, followed by a nervous looking Neville. They were followed by Blaise and Ron who gave him a pat on the shoulder as if bidding him good luck. Harry looked back to see the glaring face of Orion.

“Let’s go, Potter.”

…..

Inside the Library of Hogwarts, in a certain table, a bizarre sigh met all those who went there. Sitting there were a human, a witch, and a vampire, who all seemed to be so taken in reading books that most of their table was filled with it.

“What a bunch of nerds.” A nearby vampire muttered under his breath as he picked up a book and left the Library. But his comment was left ignored as the three concentrated in their reading. A few moments later, Hermione stood up abruptly in her seat and pushed the book towards her two companions.

“I found one.”

Marius and Theo read the short passage on it.

Theo’s eyebrows scrunched up at that. “But this doesn’t mean anything,” he said.

Hermione pointed out an empty space in the book’s leaves, releasing a bit of magic and then an ink suddenly appeared on it, showing a beautifully written script.

_The Raven’s Nest = the Owlery_

Her two companions’ eyes widened. As soon as Hermione removed her finger, the ink was then gone once again.

“How?” Theo asked.

Marius was the one who answered. “Magic script. I saw Narcissa use this in one of her letters. It can only be seen when embedded with a sufficient amount of magic.”

Hermione nodded and Theo grinned. “It seems that you are right, Marius. The Chamber does exist and we were not the first ones who tried to seek it.”

Marius smiled. His fingers unconsciously tracing the blank space. “We have to tell this to the others.”

Hermione nodded and Theo stood up, ready to leave, only to see the number of books they had to return.

“Go. I will handle this.” Marius said, but Hermione shook her head.

“There are a lot of books, Marius. I will help you. We’ll all meet up at Hufflepuff. I’m sure Theo could easily handle the rest.”

Theo gave a grin and nodded before he left the room. This made Marius curious as to why the witch would want to spend time with him, but he waited until the witch would ask as he began to carry books back to their original bookshelves.

“Why are you really doing this Marius?” Hermione began as they were in a set of bookshelves and alone.

“Doing what?” he asked, acting like he didn’t already know what she meant.

The witch huffed a sigh in annoyance. “Don’t play stupid with me, Marius. You’re too clever for that.”

Marius gave her a small smile. “Well, I don’t really know why, but when I was thinking about what would happen, I felt the need to do something, anything to stop what is to come,” he reasoned out as he placed a book on the shelf.

“But you’re human,” Hermione said with no malice or anything at all. She was just merely curious and Marius understood that. He knew it would be utterly weird for a mere human to go to such lengths to save people who were not part of his race, who he did not even know—to help or save strangers.

“I know.” In Marius thoughts, it screamed, ‘ _I am so much more involved in all of this than you think. I know that someway somehow my existence is somewhat the reason for all of this.’_ Then he continued. “But I just can’t help it. Even if it’s just a small help, I would do it to save just even one life.”

Hermione’s eyes widened as she stared at the human, full of respect. Most people would just turn their eyes away and yet, this human had already done so much.

She watched Marius who was plunged into their world, facing it alone, but she shook her head. ‘ _You are no longer alone, Marius. I will assure of that.’_

……

“Smell anything yet, Weasley?” Ron grunted and glared at the smirking vampire as he looked back.

“I am not your goddamn blood hound.”

Blaise’s grin only widened more as he retorted. “Oh, yeah. You’re Pansy’s blood hound.” He laughed out loud when Ron’s face burst red, his freckles no longer to be seen.

“Will you stop, you bloody vampire!”

Blaise just placed his arms on Ron's shoulders as if they were best mates. “You know, you should just yield to her.”

“The hell are you talking about?” Ron growled out as he pushed Blaise away but the vampire just remained giddy.

Then, Blaise began to sing. “Ron and Pansy, sitting on a tree. K-I—“

He never got to finish because the wolf began to run after him. Blaise just jumped at the wall and walked on the ceiling, his robes were the only ones flailing as he laughed at Ron who was red as a tomato.

In another part of the castle, Pansy was walking with Neville who was following her ten steps behind. She was picking on her nails before she grew frustrated at the silence.

“Neville, darling. Walk beside me, will you?”

Neville just looked down shyly and did as he was told. But as soon as he was beside the vampire, she began to sniff at his neck, making him topple to the ground.

“Wha-wha-wa—” Neville said as he cradled his neck away from Pansy.

“That Blaise is taking things slow, huh?” she said, bored now as she pouted.

Neville then saw a flash of jealousy in the vampire’s eyes, probably because of his and Neville’s bond and her lack thereof with Ron. So, he decided to try to speak to her.

“Uhm… he wanted to do it after the war.”

Pansy’s eyes were now directed to the wolf and studied him. “You wanted otherwise.”

Neville blushed as he slowly nodded his head. Pansy then sat in front of him. Good thing the Hall was empty because most of the students were in Hogsmeade.

“I never pegged you as that kind of person, Neville.” The smug face of Pansy made Neville wanted to crawl into a hole and never go out. After that, though, her voice became serious and endearing. “I think I understand Blaise for doing that.”

“Huh?” Neville said as he then looked up to see a faint smile on Pansy’s face.

“He wants you to survive.” Neville was confused at that so he allowed Pansy to continue. “If he dies, you will have high chances of surviving and maybe finding another mate.”

The wolf’s eyes widened. The denial of her words was making him retort but before he could, Pansy continued. “I am jealous. He loves you so much that he is willing to let you go if it is for your happiness. War will soon fall upon us and no one knows what will happen, so he is trying to keep you safe in his own way.”

Neville bit his lip. “I would do anything for him too. He is mine and I could have never been happier.”

Pansy smiled, knowing that the werewolf understood. She ruffled his hair before standing up, offering her hand for the werewolf to take.

“Come on. If Theo were to find out that we are slacking, we will never hear the end of it.” She smiled and Neville took her hand as he stood up and seeing Pansy in a new light. He found a friend in her.

…. 

“Potter.”

Harry stopped in his tracks as soon as Lestrange called out to him. He was focusing on his senses while trying his best to remove the horrible scent of Lestrange. He tried to concentrate on the scent of Narcissa, but the git would not allow him to do so.

"What?" he said calmly and chanting ‘ _this is for Marius_ ’ in his head.

“I want you to stay away from Marius.” Harry’s eyes found the Vampire’s right after the words came out of Lestrange’s mouth. He saw nothing but concern written in there so he arched his eyebrow at the vampire, only to have him huff out.

“He does not belong to you. He can be with who he ever damn wants,” Harry retorted.

Orion gritted his teeth. “You are right. He does not belong to anyone, especially you.”

Harry’s blood boiled and in that moment he just wanted to punch Lestrange where he stood. The only thing stopping him was the disappointed eyes of Marius when he knew. He opted to just growl and began walking away.

He was stopped again, though. This time by different words. “You have a mate Potter,” Lestrange’s blue eyes were full of warning, "and I'm sure as hell that if ever they appear, you will throw away Marius.”

“I won’t do that to him!” Harry replied with rage.

“Will you not, really?” Harry’s green eyes widened, anger fading away as the realization began to sink in him. “Would you be able to give up your mate for Marius?”

Harry froze, unable to come up with anything.

Lestrange waited for a beat before he moved and passed by him, whispering, “Just as I thought.”

As he began to walk away, Harry looked back at the retreating figure of Lestrange and shouted.

“I only wanted to be his friend. I don’t like him that way!”

‘ _Lies_ ,’ his thoughts shouted back at him as he felt a squeeze within him.

Lestrange looked back at Harry then he said at a volume that he was sure the Werewolf would hear. “Good, then. Don’t even think of hurting him in any way because Potter, I will _destroy_ you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think? thanks once again to all of you !XD


	18. The Raven's Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi im back for a while again, i deeply apologize for not updating last month i suddenly got busy and had little time to write and writers block was also getting in my way(sigh). 
> 
> huge thank you all of you guys who gave kudos, comments, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a read! you guys are awesome! you all give me motivation!!XD
> 
> the next chapter will be up soon since its currently being edited by Authlene-sempai, and to my beta Authlene-sempai thanks for everything againXD

Hermione and Marius were the first ones to enter the Hufflepuff Dorm, seeing a grumbling, irritated Ron Weasley and a smug looking Blaise sitting on opposite couches.

A few minutes later, they were followed by Pansy and Neville who seemed to be getting along. But as soon as Neville found Blaise, he sat next to him before nuzzling onto Blaise’s warmth, making the Vampire shared a look with Pansy who just shrugged her shoulders as she sat on the loveseat alone. Ron’s eyes followed her though.

Marius sat on the rug along with Beau who settled his head on the lap of the human. Hermione joined him as they talked about what kind of breed Beau is and how did he find the dog. They waited in silence for the remaining members of their weird group.

“What’s with this atmosphere?” Theo suddenly blurted out, announcing his arrival.

 “Woah, you two are back unscathed,” Blaise teased. He was met with a glare by Orion who pushed the two lovebirds so that he could flop down on the couch as well.

“Shut up,” he grumbled.

Hermione then stood up from her position and she explained to them what they have found.

“No wonder we could not track the scent down. The Owlery smells of owl poop and the scent of snow. A bad mixture if you ask me,” Ron said.

“When should we go?” Blaise asked as he patted Neville’s head softly. The Werewolf nodded off, ready to be falling asleep.

“I think it is better to go now while there are only a few people in the castle,” Theo suggested which earned affirmative nods from the others.

“The question is, who should go? It will be too suspicious if we all went.” Pansy raised an eyebrow before Hermione began to speak.

“Marius and I could go. Since Marius knows what the Grimoire looks like, I will need his assistance.” Hermione noticed that this time Harry was not so inclined to join them, but did not comment on it. Whatever Lestrange told him was probably creating a huge war deep in his brain.

“Let me just go pick up my cloak,” Marius said before leaving the room. He headed to his quarters, followed by his loyal dog that seemed to prefer sticking to him rather than playing with the houseguests.

“I’ll join.” Ron followed, seemingly wanting to stay away from a smug Blaise. It looked like the Vampire had pushed on Ron’s buttons too much for his liking. But him being the insensitive and unreasonably oblivious that he was, made all the rest in the room wanted to groan as he asked, “You coming, Harry?"

Hermione resisted the urge to face palm herself and Harry looked at Ron, startled.

“Uh, yeah sure.” Harry blinked, caught off guard. His mind whirling with thoughts.

Hermione just released a tired sigh and Marius was now out of his Chamber. He wore a warm cloak and wrapped around his neck was a Hufflepuff muffler.

“Mind if I transfigure some of your things here to a cloak?”

Marius shook his head and wandlessly, Hermione transfigured a cloth into a warm brown cloak.

……….

Not long after, they entered the Owlery and the cold seeped into their bones with a vengeance despite them wearing warm clothes.

Marius wished he could cast a Warming Spell but that would be a huge no for him. He needed to be more careful with his magic. But then, he felt someone rested a warm cloak on his shoulders. He looked back, only to see Harry without his black cloak in his form. The werewolf only wore his school robes now and he did not even look cold a bit. The human was about to protest but Harry spoke before he could.

“Take it, Marius. Besides werewolves have higher resistance to cold than humans.” He gave a small smile before he followed Hermione in the Owlery.

A blush grew upon Marius’ face, one he could not stop. So, internally freaking out, he delved his face into his Hufflepuff muffler to cover it and followed the others as well.

“Well, we’re here. Now what?” Ron asked. He looked at Hermione and Marius for answers.

“There has to be some secret passage around here somewhere.”

Ron looked about to puke as the scent of owl droppings assaulted his senses but he tried his best to look alright as he used his muffler to cover up his nose. Marius noticed this expression on Harry as well but he lacked a muffler to cover his nose and he was only using his hand, which is not helpful. That was why Marius took out a handkerchief and nudged it onto Harry. The werewolf gave him an expression of thanks as he took it. Marius went looking around as well for anything.

Some of the owls appeared to be asleep while the others were watching them so keenly as if every move was recorded. Hermione was about to take a step further when suddenly she felt a pulse of magic on her shoulder. She held onto it using her hand, furrowing her eyebrows as she thought of why it was buzzing with magic. The answer she got made her eyes widened.

Her mark as Heir.

“Is there something wrong Hermione?” Harry asked as he approached her. Only two steps forward, a cloak was thrusted right to his face. He blinked. “Uh, Mione, what are do you want to do?”

They did not hear a reply from her. She was now only wearing her blouse when something seemed to glow on her shoulder.

“What is that?” Marius began to ask as he could faintly see what the mark looked from his position.

“This Mark is our proof that we are Heirs to the throne of Ravenclaw,” she said then.

Marius’ eyes widened. He had never heard of it before nor he ever bore such a mark despite being born a Black.

“Since our High Witch lost her daughter, there was no one to inherit the throne after her. That’s why she chose amongst all of us. I was one along with Cho Chang but since she renounced her claim, I am the only Heir other than her daughter.”

_Nymphadora Black_. Marius remembered her name on the Black Family tree but he kept his mouth shut to not allow it to slip.

"It is embedded with the blood of Andromeda. It is probably reacting to the magic of the Chamber,” she said and then she raised her arm. Hermione used it as a beacon to look where the passage is. The cold wind blew which made Hermione shiver at it but then her Mark glowed brightly at one spot. As soon as she pinpointed it, she wore her cloak back and cast a Warming Charm on her person.

“I think it is through here.”

They all stared at a wall with a dozen mini rooms for the owls. The owls who occupied it just stared at them and Hermione began to feel the wall for any kind of latch or switch for the secret door to open. Marius soon joined her. Meanwhile, the two werewolves just watched, as the scent is not allowing them to be much of help.

“It looks like there is nothing here,” Ron mumbled.

Hermione ignored him and opted to place her hand on the wall, feeling anything but there was nothing. She felt a bit disappointed now, thinking their venture was all for naught. As she released a huge sigh, the ground beneath them began to shake all of a sudden. Hermione removed her hands off the wall. She looked back at Marius who was looking at what was happening with the same expression.

“Okay, what is happening?” Ron said as he stood looking at Hermione and Marius, then to Harry who seemed surprised. But then all eyes snapped to the ground underneath, only to find something engraved there. Hermione gasped. Not in shock but in awe as the language written was something that she had never seen before. The shaking stopped and she once again traced her hands to the text.

“Amazing,” she murmured. Marius soon joined her, tracing the same marks as well.

“The first language of magic,” Marius said. He could tell the similarities of the mark and the language he once knew. A small smile appeared on his features.

“I can’t read this.” Hermione began as she stood up properly, still staring at the words engraved. “The first language of magic was long extinct and the language itself was never written as it was passed on orally,” she grumbled and crossed her arms.

The Chamber’s entrance was now right in front of them. Yet in order to open it, she would have to learn a language that was never known to anyone. To research it, it would take years.

But the sound of Marius reading made her eyes widen.

“ _To enter the Raven’s Chamber_ …” the human began but stopped when all eyes snapped to him. He looked at them back confused. “What?”

“Wait. You could read this gibberish?” Ron gasped.

Marius only shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

“How?” Hermione then butted in, her hands were now fisted on her sides. She was feeling a bit envious that Marius knew about the language but she could question him further about it later.

“Being friends with Draco has its perks,” he grinned at them and this made Hermione chuckled. The two werewolves released a content sigh and smile.

Once again, Harry was amazed at Marius. He was human yet his knowledge was limitless. He watched as those gray eyes sparkled with glee while responding to Hermione.

“We will further talk about this in detail later. For now, tell us what it says.”

Marius nodded and he looked back at the inscription. As he read, his smile soon faded.

_“Beyond this door_

_Only Black blood can enter._

_To those without_

_Blood must be offered._

_One Dark,_

_One Light,_

_Once separated now united_

_And all will return to nothing.”_

Marius’ eyes met Hermione’s. The two looked at each other as if they spoke telepathically.

“Is it a riddle?” Ron asked.

Marius shook his head and Hermione began casting a spell as she took out her wand.

“Ginny will not be pleased if she was not informed of this.” Hermione looked toward Marius before she gave the final order to her Patronus.

“No. Tell her only the things that are necessary. Remember, this had to stay only in our group.”

Ron stared at Harry who was just as confused as he is. _Why were they talking about his sister?_

“Uh, care to explain?” Harry said when he could feel a headache began to form from all these confusing questions.

Marius gave a small smile as he began to explain. “It means that only those of Black blood can enter, but those who are not must give blood in exchange.”

“Then why isn’t Hermione giving blood already?”

“A light witch and dark witch is needed. Both have to offer up blood in order to open the door. In the past, there was no such thing as light or dark. There was unity amongst witches.” Marius looked at the inscribed words and voiced out, “In order, to enter the Chamber light and darkness must return to how it was before. To return to nothing, to be united.”

Hermione smiled at Marius’ explanation. She no longer needed to add anything anymore as the human already gave it all. She could understand now why Harry seemed so fixated on the human. His intelligence astounded her that she found him interesting.

“Let’s get out of here for a while. We need to meet up with Ginny and Luna outside.”

The group followed Hermione out of the Owlery. And, once they were out, it started shaking again and then stopped.

………..

“Okay, what do you need us for?” Ginny raised a perfectly curved eyebrow at Hermione which the brown-haired girl just smiled at her in humor as if used to it.

“I actually want to ask Luna for a favor. If that is alright with her, of course,” Hermione said, regarding the blonde female. Luna just looked at her back with indifference.

“Oh. So what am I?” Ginny huffed and Marius pulled her to one side. He then began to explain.

"We were actually in the midst of opening one of Hogwarts secrets; the Chamber known to have been created by Rowena Ravenclaw.” Ginny’s face was painted with shock within a second and Luna’s eyes widened slightly upon hearing what Marius had said.

“Those Chambers are a myth.”

Hermione shook her head.

Ginny furrowed her forehead. “Why’re you guys looking for it?”

“There is something I need there. It’s a Grimoire that might help us in the upcoming war,” Hermione answered easily.

The two witches looked at each other before Ginny blurted out.

“Oh, I am in. So, where is it?”

“That is actually the problem. We need Luna’s help in opening the Chamber,” Hermione said as Ron and Harry leaned on the walls, looking queasy.

Luna noticed them. Her eyes questioning. “You two don’t look good.”

“Sorry. I guess the smell was too strong,” Ron said, lips quivering.

Ginny covered her mouth to muffle a laugh and the werewolf glared at his sister who then full on out laughed. “Oh my god! You two were knocked out just by the smell?”

The girl Weasley giggled once again and Ron retorted, “Oh, hush. If only you got my nose!” He huffed and Hermione patted his arm as Harry only wrinkled his nose.

Hermione took pity on them. “Well, I guess you two can go now. We can handle the rest.”

Harry looked about to protest, but a small smile from Marius was all that made him nod. His mind was still whirring from his conversation with Lestrange.

“Ok, be safe,” he said that more to Marius than the others which the others seem to notice.

Marius nodded as he watched them walk away. He turned back to the rest soon after. “Then, shall we go?”

They nodded in unison before slowly making their way to the passage. As soon as they entered and Hermione touched the wall, the same words began to be engraved on the ground stone once again.

Ginny looked at it with a deadpan expression. “So, it’s gibberish.”

Marius smiled at her reaction before he began to explain what was written. The girl seemed amazed at his knowledge before Luna spoke again.

“I hope there is a nest of Wrackspurts inside. That way, I could get to study their habitats.” Her airy tone made Ginny shake her head for a bit. Her friend had not changed a bit.

Hermione smiled a bit. “Luna, would you be so kind to offer up a bit of blood?”

The blonde witch looked slightly taken aback but she held her hand for Hermione to take all the same. She cut her palm and blood pooled at it. Luna did not even flinch at this. Instead, it was Ginny who did so in her stead.

Hermione did the same before she turned to Marius, silently asking what next.

“Squeeze your hands to let the blood flow to the engraved words.”

As told, the two Witch clenched their hands. The blood trickled to the engraved words and as soon as their blood mingled, a sound as if a lock being opened was heard.

“Did you hear that?” Ginny said and the others nodded their head at it.

Soon the ground where they were standing began to shake and the stone where the words were engraved seemed to sink to the floor, replaced by another stone. All eyes snapped at the wall when the bricks began to reform themselves, opening a doorway. The four gasped in shock and in admiration at the doorway.

Marius looked back at Hermione. “Ready?”

Hermione nodded along with the two. The took several steps forward and as soon as they passed the doorway, the passageway going down was lit to life as fire began to pop from the torches. The group then carefully threaded inside, flinching slightly when the entrance snapped shut.

They reached a wide open room with a room full of books soon after. Shelves after shelves of books that seemed to have been preserved were present and books that have been said to have been extinct were all there as well.

The four of them looked at their surrounding with varying degree of amazement. Hermione’s eyes were wide and so were Ginny’s as the red-head went on to take a look at the shelves. Luna couldn’t hold back her gasp as she gazed at the room. Meanwhile, Marius was just purely astounded at what he saw, but he had a nagging feeling that it was not supposed to be this easy. There were even some books floating in that room, painted with a soft blue color that made the room even brighter.

“It has been a long time since I have seen people enter this place.” A voice boomed. It sounded feminine enough to pass as a female’s. The echo it made around the room made it hard to point exactly where it came from.

The four moved closer to each other, their wands were drawn except for Marius, as they wait for whomever was that spoke to come out.

"Prepared to fight, are you? No worries. I am not here to harm you.” This time, they could pin point the exact location of the voice. Slowly, a woman began to show herself to the four.

Marius’ eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he could register who exactly the woman is. He almost spoke it out loud in his shock, but Hermione beat him to it which made him pull himself together.

“Narcissa.”

The woman, Narcissa, just gave them a smile as she stood tall. She wore a green dress and looked like a proper lady as she folded her hands in front of her.

Marius covered his mouth as his form shook a bit but he caught himself. Good thing the others’ attention was upon Narcissa or else they would realize there was something more to it. But then, he felt a spark of something within him as he felt deceived. He was prepared to spit out the impostor in front of him when Ginny began to ask.

“You are not really her, are you?”

The woman smiled, her blue eyes glinting alight as she began to speak in the same voice that Marius remembered, and oh how he wanted to hug the woman right now despite knowing that it was fake.

“I am not. I’m what the Chamber conjured from what you desire to take from this Chamber.” She smiled at the four of them but then her eyes landed upon Marius and her eyes narrowed.

“Then do you know where Narcissa’s Grimoire is?” Hermione asked as she noticed the way the woman looked at Marius. Narcissa’s blue eyes then found Hermione’s brown ones. There was something in them that Hermione could not understand.

"Yes, though you have to come with me. Mere energy like me cannot touch things. You have to get it for yourselves.” She beckoned for her to follow.

“I will stay with Marius just in case,” Ginny said.

Hermione and Luna nodded then went ahead.

As soon as they reached the woman, she suddenly waved her hand and not a second after, Hermione and Luna’s unconscious bodies fell to the ground.

“ _What?!”_ Ginny gasped as she and Marius rushed to check them.

“Hermione! Wake up!” Marius began to shake Hermione in his arms. It was to no avail since the witch remained unconscious. Ginny then slowly placed Luna to the ground as she stood up and glared at the woman who was just smiling down at them.

“ _What. Did. You. Do.”_ Her every word was stressed with enough malice that her aura spiked from her form. Marius could see that Ginny was prepared to hex the woman for what she did anytime now.

“You are born the seventh witch of the seventh generation of your Mother’s family,” Narcissa just voiced out as Ginny pointed her wand at her direction.

“So what?” She snapped back.

“You will have the power to protect those you love.” Ginny’s menacing glare began to waver as her eyes widened. Marius could see the worry on Ginny's mind seemed to be full of the thoughts about her family.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” the woman replied before she waved her hand and Ginny fell as well.

Marius did his best to catch her before her head hit the ground. He laid her down on the ground carefully along with the two.

His silver eyes found blue ones and the woman gave a smile that Marius was so familiar with, the smile that brought dagger’s to his heart because of how much he missed it.

“Do you mind telling me how to wake them up?”

The not-Narcissa smile at his direction once again, but this one was full of interest that Marius knew this was not his mother.

“The brown haired one is undergoing a trial while the other two is merely dreaming.”

Marius' eyes narrowed as he tried to look strong. “You want me alone with you.”

The form of the woman changed then. Black curly hair now cascaded instead of blonde and her dress turned blue along with her eyes. The pale skin did not change though. And now Marius was looking at the true form to the magic inside the Chamber. He was face to face with Rowena Ravenclaw herself.

“Smart, beautiful, ethereal…” Her voice resounded in the room as she rounded Marius, watching his every move as the other did as well. “I can see your Mother’s features in you.” She stopped right in front of Marius and suddenly, a seat appeared behind him. A table along with tea and cookies came next. Marius stared with shock clearly painted in his features as he saw Rowena sat at the other end of the table. She fixed her shawl and she sat regally like a queen.

“So, why is the son of Narcissa Black roaming the world as a human?” Rowena sipped on her tea as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“Why should I be inclined to tell a long dead ancestor of my own plans?”

Hearing that, Rowena’s eyes widened before a laugh escaped her lips.

“Indeed, _Draco._ ”

Marius— _Draco,_ flinched at the use of his real name. Suddenly, anything that wasn't Rowena seemed more interesting. Anything other than that woman who was one of his ancestors and the only one who did not inherit the Black name and instead lived her life as the only High Witch without Black as a surname.

“If you had entered here alone, I would’ve easily yielded you to your Mother’s Grimoire. Alas, the circumstances are different.” She did not continue and Draco stared at her with furrowed eyebrows.

“I intend to follow through my promise to my Mother.” He looked down, fiddling his fingers together no longer feeling any hostility towards Rowena but instead, he felt something akin to a family relationship with her.

“And yet you promised to help the werewolves strengthen their wards.” Draco’s silver eyes snapped to the older woman who merely shrugged. “As soon as one enters the door, the thin veil of magic allows me to see the person’s memories and allow me to judge if they are worthy of ever entering this Chamber.” She sipped on her tea once again and plucked a cookie from one of the baskets.

Draco looked contemplative for a second. “I will figure something out.” He paused. “Are you really Rowena?”

“I know you will.” The woman then shook her head. “No, I’m not. I am more like a Guardian, you can say. Like a huge remnant of magically imbued energy in this Chamber to assure that no one would use the knowledge in this Chamber for dark deeds.”

Draco could not help but marvel at how this place was made. There had to be a massive amount of magic here that lingered to keep the Chamber alive.

“This is like the Room of Requirement.”

Rowena's smile seemed to soften. “That room was merely an imitation for this Chamber.”

With that, Draco rolled his eyes.

Rowena chuckled before her face turned serious. “I just hope for your sake that you would always remain who you are.”

“What do you mean by that?”  Draco inquired but the woman only closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the tug of lips she gave him felt like a knife straight to the heart.

“War will soon befall the lands and even I don’t think that you would be able to escape it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys think?XD
> 
> you guys can hit me up on tumblr on anything(though im new at it since im still learning about it lol its empty)  
> http://dementedk.tumblr.com/
> 
> thank you guys once again


	19. A Glimpse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers, im just gonna drop this chapter for now since im not sure when will i get to update once again since its gotten a lot busier for me due to my five laboratories. so please be patient with me i will do my best to write whenever i have the time
> 
> Authelene-sempai thank you once again for the editing of this chapter!
> 
> to you all my readers, those who left comments, bookmarked, subscribed, left kudos and just gave this story a read i am grateful to all of you! you are all awesome readers!
> 
> without further ado i leave you with this chapter, i hope you guys will like it!XD
> 
> PLEASE READ:  
> I deeply apologize for not being able to update last month, this month and the next. Due to my very busy schedule this semester I plan to continue updating on the month of December, during that month I will be updating multiple chapters, I can’t say how many since i don’t want to make promises I sometimes can’t keep. 
> 
> Again I want to thank you all guys for your very warm support and patience and love for this fanfic. I am truly very grateful, since when I only started this fanfic, I never expected it to escalate this much. So thank you again so much to all of you guys, warm hugs to you all and see you all on December!  
> -mel

Drifting to consciousness, Hermione opened her eyes slowly. Her head felt like it was floating before she could finally sit up. Once her eyes were clear, they widened. She realized she was in a different place than before. She looked around her to see that no one was with her.

“It seems that you were sent here to obtain me?” A voice, strikingly similar to the Narcissa she saw a while ago, was heard.

Hermione stood up from the ground and looked around the expanse of darkness that surrounded her. Her body seemed to be glowing, providing some kind of light.

“Obtain you? I am here to obtain a Grimoire,” Hermione answered, craning her neck everywhere to search for where the voice was coming from.

“Shall we change the setting then?”

Hermione heard a snap of fingers and the room changed easily. When she looked around her this time, she could tell that she was inside the Ravenclaw Common Room. The figure appeared and Hermione raised her eyebrows to see that it was once again Narcissa Black, only in a much younger version of her. She was wearing the uniform of Hogwarts, her hair braided to the side and her blue eyes glowed.

“You again?” Hermione said.

The female looked confused at her but then a realization seemed to come to her. “Ah, the Chamber took my form, didn’t it? Though, how? You haven’t even seen what Narcissa looked like just by seeing your memories.”

It was now Hermione’s turn to be confused and seeing this, the younger Narcissa who looked like a ghost began to explain. “The Chamber can see through your memories as soon as you entered this room, all in order to ascertain that if you ever were to be able to take a book from this place, it would not be used to evil. The Room also takes the form of anyone you ever desire.”

“Then why did the Room decide to turn into Narcissa?” Hermione thought it was because they wanted to obtain Narcissa’s Grimoire that the room took the form of her. Apparently not only that.

“Perhaps there was one of your friends who has a great desire to see her again,” the spirit said as she shrugged her shoulders.

The world around them seemed to change then. Hermione watched in awe as the Room easily weaved its magic. “This is?”

“Her memories,” the ghost that looked like Narcissa Black spoke.

Hermione arched up her head to look at her. She seemed even younger and her face expressed no emotion as she began to watch her surroundings.

“Is it not yours?”

The ghost shook her head. “I am but a remnant of her magic imbued in the Grimoire that you seek and awakened by the Chamber to see if you are worthy to inherit her Grimoire. I suggest you watch carefully, Miss Granger. The trial has begun.”

Hermione went silent as the scene around her changed again. This time, she saw the memory of Narcissa sleeping on the couch. Her face looked peaceful.

“When was this?”

The ghost answered her blankly, “In the middle of the First War.”

Hermione’s mind went on to remember reading that when the First War erupted, Narcissa Black already fled. She was said to be searched by both parties as the War continued. The Vampires were now overrun by the Dark Lord. Those who did not follow him created the Order to help in the War. She was about to think more on her readings but a sudden sound came from the sleeping Narcissa snapped her back to present. A few moments later, Narcissa bolted to one of the doors.

Hermione followed her to see what was happening but then she saw that what Narcissa entered was the lavatory where she was puking her guts out. From behind Hermione, a figure appeared and helped Narcissa as she patted her back carefully.

_“There, there. Let it out.”_ She was an old woman. Grey hairs were already starting to show from her pitch black hair. She was wearing a shawl over her light lavender dress.

_“Thank you, Mrs. Clarke,”_ Narcissa croaked out.

The old woman just shook her head as if it was nothing. Hermione realized that the woman was Marius’ grandmother. _He really was close to Draco,_ she thought.

_“It’s alright now, dear. What did I tell you about calling me that?”_ Narcissa gave the old woman a small smile. _“Now, let’s move to the sitting room so you can rest.”_ But before the old woman could help her stand, Narcissa protested. She instead began to crawl to a different direction of the house.

_“No. I can’t rest now. They need me. The balance is about to tip and the werewolves are dying. Please, Regina.”_

Regina—the old woman—sighed heavily. With a heavy heart, she assisted Narcissa to one of the rooms where she kept all of her potions.

Narcissa balanced herself in what seemed to be a stone carved table. In the middle of it, there was a basin that contained something that Hermione had never seen before. It looked like normal water but the way it glittered made it known to her that it was not simply just water.

_“Show me, Gryffindor Lands.”_

The surface of the water rippled before what was happening in the lands of Gryffindor was reflected there. Werewolves were shown there, fighting against vampires in every direction. Their numbers were dwindling and it seemed to make Narcissa’s breath hitched. With a flick of her wrist, the water showed Andromeda trying to create a barrier in Ravenclaw Lands where witches seemed to attack. Another flick of her wrist and everything disappeared, leaving only the glittering water and the tremor that caused her body to shake. Narcissa almost fell, but Regina held her shoulder.

_“Calm yourself. You just used a huge amount of magic and not even used the proper spell. It drained you, child,”_ Regina said as she sat the now frail looking Narcissa on one of the chairs in the room.

_“I have to help them, Regina. I have turned my back on them, but it is not yet too late to help,”_ Narcissa answered as she puffed out air. She looked so exhausted in Hermione’s eyes and it made her wonder what made her that way.

_“I know, Narcissa, but the child…“_ She discontinued her sentence and Narcissa understood what she meant as she placed a careful hand on her stomach. She caressed it and Hermione then realized—

She was pregnant.

_“Please, Narcissa, you have to rest.”_

Narcissa closed her eyes. They looked heavy as she nodded her head. The old woman then helped her to walk back to her room.

The scene suddenly changed and once again it showed Narcissa who looked distressed sitting on one of the couches. Regina Clarke, sitting next to her, held her hand in her lap. Her voice was soft and cautious as she spoke to Narcissa in a calm manner.

_“You have to choose, Narcissa. You cannot go into the war with a child. Your body could not bear it.”_

Narcissa looked about to cry and Hermione could understand her position just a bit.

_“So, you are asking me to just abandon those who need my help?”_

Regina’s mouth opened as if to retort, but then she closed her eyes instead. Hermione could see that she was conflicted as well.

_“If I could help you in any way that I can, I would. But this is your choice and yours alone.”_ She tucked a strand of Narcissa’s hair in her ear as she continued, _“We could wait until your child is born in the world and then you can aid them in the war.”_

_“I can’t.”_ Narcissa’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, but the old woman seemed able to hear her. _“If I don’t help them now, there will be no world to save. Please, I want to be alone.”_ The old woman seemed to understand and left her alone in the house.

_"My little one, Mother is distressed. Regina knows I cannot choose because that would mean that I would lose you and I—“_ Narcissa’s voice broke as sobs began to rack her body. She rested her hand on her stomach where her child grew. _“I cannot lose you too, just like your Father. But my child, I don’t know what to do. People are dying. Time is running out. Many are calling my name for help. I just—I don’t know what to do.”_

_“I wonder, if it were you, with your Father’s stubbornness and my wit… I wonder just what choice you would choose.”_ She closed her eyes as if to feel the presence of her child in her stomach. When she opened them, a smile was on her lips and Hermione recognized this as unconditional love _._ She could not help but feel envy at how much Narcissa loved her child. _“I wish I would get to hear your answer, my little one.”_

Soon, the scene was changing as a bright light appeared. Hermione was pulled back to where she first woke up.

“This is your trial, Miss Granger. Tell me what Narcissa choose. If you get the answer right, you get everything you came for. If not…” Something was left unsaid as Hermione then began to rack her brain. She could not understand what she just saw,

_Narcissa had another child? Because it would be impossible if that child were Draco Black. He would be too old and Remus had said that he was only a year below them. How come she had never heard or read of this?_ Then she remembered there were only a few records of Narcissa in the History books. She was almost non-existent.

“One life or everyone’s,” rang the spirit’s voice and Hermione’s brain went to work. She then recalled the way Narcissa would touch her stomach. The look of pure and utter love for her child was displayed there so it would be impossible for her to sacrifice her child for the war. But there was no news of her having another child. During the sealing of the Dark Lord, she was not pregnant at all.

_Could it be that she lost her child? Is that the reason why she left as soon as the war was over?_ Something does not add up. Hermione could feel her instinct screamed that there was something missing from the memory, something she did not know and that was the answer to the question.

“What do you choose, Miss Granger? Time is running out,” the ghost-like appearance of Narcissa Black whispered to her as she stood awaiting her answer.

“She chose to save everyone,” Hermione replied, her eyes closed as she said so.

“How can you say so?” the spirit asked.

Hermione’s face twisted in pain as she thought of the pain Narcissa had endured in making that decision. She didn’t answer because she could not believe that the Narcissa she saw in the memory would be capable of doing that.

“That is enough, I guess.” Hermione lifted her face up as she stifled a sob, looking at the spirit with a shocked look. “I was merely testing you, child. Testing if you have what it takes to succeed her Grimoire. Having this Grimoire, you will hold a huge responsibility as it contains spells that will help you in your way. _But._ You should remember everything has a price.”

The spirit looked at Hermione and smiled. She could see the worry and determination painted on the girl’s face and that was then she knew she could place the Grimoire in her hands. She placed both of her ghostly hands on each of Hermione’s cheeks.

“I know you had a hard time choosing and as a being with power, sometimes the situation you face will force you to make hard decisions such as those. But there are also times when you could save both. Remember that there is always a third choice, you just have to find it.”

The spirit smiled and Hermione’s eyes widened.

A light then began to emanate from her chest and a book materialized. It was a thick tome, its cover just but a simple leather. As Hermione held it in her hands, she could feel a warm magic enveloped her. A mark appeared on her arm, similar to the mark that is engraved on the front of the book as if linking her to it. She then opened it, only to find that the pages were blank. She tried to emit her magic like in the library, but no words appeared.

“That was a good try but to reveal the contents of that book, you have to know what you seek.”

Hermione looked up again at the spirit. She looked more blurry than a while ago.

 “What did she choose? Narcissa, I mean.”

The spirit smiled and answered truthfully. “She chose both”

“But if she did chose both, how was she able to protect her unborn child?”

“I guess there would be no harm in telling you. Narcissa was pressured. She had to choose between saving her child or she could fight to save millions. Time was running out and lives were dwindling each day that she almost lost hope. But, the heartbeat of her child pushed her to choose what is right. She chose to seal her pregnancy in a time-based spell to stop it shortly but also assuring that her child would be safe.”

Hermione gasped at that. Time-based spells were the hardest to cast, almost impossible.

“She chose to give birth after the Dark Lord was no more, but there are consequences of her actions. Time was not to be trifled with. In exchange for it, her life span was cut down and her magic weakened, that she was merely only able to seal the monster but not cut it down. She never regretted it for a moment as her child was her joy, her happiness, her everything. Her life. I am the last bit of her magic that remained before she sealed away her Grimoire in this Chamber.”

“She was weakened when she fought the Dark Lord?” Hermione asked and the spirit looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“I know what you are thinking. If she fought him with full power, she would’ve won.”

Hermione was startled. She felt ashamed of herself but the spirit merely smiled.

“That is what everyone would say.” Hermione looked up at the spirit who turned serious. “Even if she fought that monster with her full strength, the monster would live in another vessel and return once again.” Hermione’s eyes widened and she could not help but ask but before she could, the spirit spoke again. “She found out why the monster was so strong despite being a mere vampire bitten by the Elder Vampire Lucius Malfoy. She left me the key to defeating the monster and hoped that the next generation would do what she could not.”

Hermione could not believe what she was hearing.

_The Dark Lord has a power that they did not know? And what did she mean by ‘the monster would live in another vessel’?_

“And what is that?”

“Break his chains of power.”

Hermione blinked, confusion clear on her face. She was about to ask, but the look on the spirit face told her she wouldn’t get what she wanted.

“And that is what I leave for you to find out, Hermione Granger. You are smart after all. Prove to me that you truly are worthy,” the spirit said before everything became black.

…..

Ginny sucked in a deep breath as she sat up, breathing heavily. She looked around her to see that there was nothing, just plainly darkness.

As she blinked, suddenly the world around her was different. The soft wind blew, there was grass on her feet and the sky was eerily blue. Her eyes widened as she felt it so real. But that would be impossible. She knew this was but a magic of the room and she had to wake up. Her friends might be in danger, especially Marius who was left undefended.

“I can hear your mind working from miles away.” A voice, clearly male, was heard.

Ginny snapped her head towards where the sound came from. She could see where the man was but the problem is, she could not see his face. It seemed hidden by a black fog.

“Who are you?” she asked cautiously.

The male merely chuckled. “You will meet me soon.”

Ginny then relaxed as if understanding. Her hands were lowered to her side from their previous crossed position over her chest and she felt a sense of happiness knowing that she would get to find him soon.

“You’re my mate,” she said breathlessly and the silhouette nodded. Ginny wanted to run up to him but she could see that he was just an illusion of the room. Then, her defenses were up again. Her eyes turned serious and the man as if amused by her actions raised both hands.

“You are an illusion,” Ginny said as she felt herself so fooled again.

The man easily nodded. “I may be, but my personality and who I am is not. The room shows what you truly desire and even if I’m not really here, I am happy that you are looking for me.”

Ginny spluttered, her cheeks reddened. She quickly got rid of it by shaking her head. She was about to say something in return, but something tugged her hand. When she looked down, her eyes widened as she looked at a nine-year-old child staring right back at her.

Unlike the man, the child’s face was seen. He had pale features and curly brown hair with the most beautiful blue eyes that Ginny had ever seen. His form was also not fading like the man that claimed to be her mate.

“Wh—what?” She stuttered out as the boy released her hand and stood next to the man. The two then held hands and slowly, the boy and the man became one.

Ginny didn’t know why but she felt something in her heart suddenly broke.

She frowned, hand fisted in the front of her cloak, right above her chest. "What does that mean?"

The man looked at her and Ginny’s eyes watered without her consent.

“Please, don’t cry. I want you to smile, G, like you always did. Remember, you will face a lot of things in this life but despite it all, you have to live. Know that we will meet again at the end of all of this. I love you, G. Always remember that.”

“Wait!” Ginny screamed as the vision became dark and tears rolling down her cheeks, a dozen questions in her mind.

….

Luna awoke to see herself in the mirror where she usually communicates with her Master. Her eyes widened. She looked around her to see if any of her friends were there with her and she released a sigh finding out that she was alone. She stood up from where she was seated and she passed by the huge walk-in mirror of their dorm when she noticed something.

Luna walked back to see what it was that she saw, only to have a gasp emanate from her as she covered her mouth. She looked back and there he was, standing with a small smile gracing his features. Then with trembling hands, she held up her hands to touch her Father's cheek only to find out that he was real. Then without any more words, she hugged her Father with all her might, a strained sob being released from her lips as she snuggled her head into his chest.

“Daddy,” she cried in his arms and her Father soothed her with his words, hugging her daughter as tight as he could.

“Forgive me, Luna. I could not protect you,” he voiced out to his daughter and the blonde shook her head in his chest as she slowly eased herself to look at her Father’s face.

“No. That’s not true. You protected me for as long as I can remember,” she said, holding her Father’s face in her hands, memorizing the feel of it in her hands as she was sure moments like this do not last. Then she remembered her order, what she had to do in order to see her Father, for real this time.

She knew that this was just a figment of what she desired. She realized it as soon as they entered the room and Narcissa Black was the one that greeted them. The strength of Marius’ desire to see her again made the room fulfill that desire.

Her Father then began to speak and she released him in order to look at his Father once again. She wiped away her tears.

“I no longer need to say much to you. Your path may have begun in the darkness but it will lead you to where you are meant to be. Be brave, be strong. Your mother’s blood will not betray you. It will be your saving grace,” Luna smiled as tears fell from her eyes, not understanding what those words mean but for now but she knew someday she would understand.

“Thank you,” her not-Father showed a look of surprise before shaking his head.

“I bid you good luck,” and Luna closed her eyes as she felt her real self-waking up now.

….

“They are awake,” Rowena voiced out to Marius and they both stood up to see that the three were now slowly sitting up. As soon as their eyes met Marius, Rowena was back once again to her previous form. Narcissa Black smiled down at the three of them.

"How was the past, Miss Granger?" Narcissa asked as she held out her hand for her to take. Hermione almost thought twice before she took it and stood up.

“Left me with more questions than answers.”

Narcissa chuckled then and she turned to a shocked Ginny who was helped up by Marius.

"Believe the future, Miss Weasley,” she merely said as she passed and went to Luna who relied on without her saying anything.

“Thank you. Seeing the present gave me something to think about.”

Narcissa smiled at the witch. Marius looked curious but one look at Hermione and he knew that she would explain it to him later on.

He looked at her and saw that she was successful as the witch was holding on to the Grimoire that he once saw long before it was sealed. He felt a bit envious as that Grimoire was supposed to be his, the remaining memory of his mother. But he shook his thoughts. He had no need for things to remind him of his mother as he had her in his heart always and that was the most important.

“I am glad. Everything turned out alright,” Narcissa voiced out as she looked at the three witches with a smile on her features. When her eyes found Marius, he understood they spoke about what the three was going through when they were left alone, along with his plans. But her voice still rang in his mind as if a never-repeating record.

_"I cannot show you what the future, the past or present plan for you, Marius, as your fate is already set in stone.”_

Until now, the way she said those words made Marius— _Draco’s_ stomach twisted, an odd feeling of impending doom filled his whole being.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you guys have any questions, thoughts feel free to ask them, thank you for reading!XD


	20. Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo! it has been such a long time guys!   
> i apologize for taking so long and thank you for your patience i bring to you this chapter, hopefully you guys will like it!  
> to all who left kudos, comments, subscribed and gave this story a read thank you so much i appreciate it very much!!XD  
> to my Beta Authlene thank you for everything!XD 
> 
> enjoy~!

Harry was walking along the hall away from the Owlery later that day, not minding the fact that his pace was a little bit too fast for a casual walk. Or maybe he didn’t even realize it. Behind him, Ron was trying his best to catch up, almost full on running. When they were finally close enough, the werewolf snatched Harry’s arm to put an end to whatever trance the Alpha got himself stuck in.

Harry jumped at the contact and Ron would’ve snickered at his startled expression if he wasn’t so worried.

“Sorry, I was distracted,” Harry apologized, successfully managing to sound both worryingly frustrated and genuinely guilty at the same time.

Ron released a sigh, exasperated. “No kidding, Harry. You were totally out of it.” He put a calming hand on the other’s shoulder. “You know you can tell me things, yeah?” Knowing Harry, he might have been thinking too hard on whatever it is that got him fast walking across the hall like a madman and denying what he had probably been aware of already.

“Yeah. I know.” Harry then leaned into the wall of the empty hallway and tilted his head back, his eyes closed and his features all scrunched up. Ron followed his example and placed his hands on his robe’s pockets as he tilted his head to mimic Harry, only without closing his eyes.

“So, tell me,” Ron said carefully when none of them spoke or even move a bit for some time now.

Once again, they were engulfed in silence until a few sighs were heard from Harry and he began to speak. “At first, I only tried to get close to him due to him being human, you know,” he started, voice low.

Ron immediately straightened his back as he nodded and regarded Harry fully. When he coaxed him to talk, he didn’t exactly expect Harry to open up to him just like that. Usually, it took some inspiring words from Hermione until he broke the ice but never this. So Ron braced himself and opened his ears to hear whatever Harry would say.

“…Then I found out that he was somehow connected to Draco Black, the boy who could help save our race from extinction and…” Harry stopped there as he looked down and heaved again another sigh.

It took Ron some time to realize what Harry meant to say. But when he did, his breath hitched.

Carefully, he continued Harry’s hanging sentence. “…you began to grow fond of him, huh?”

Harry did not look at him. He just kept staring at the ground as if the pattern there kept his attention prisoner. Ron knew better, so he waited patiently until the other was ready to say more.

“There was something about him, Ron.” Harry looked up then, his eyes meeting Ron’s, and he could see just how much Harry was fond of Marius. “I can’t explain it, but he was different. So different that I’m afraid if I ever look away just one second from him, he will disappear and I can’t bear how that makes me feel. I know I just met him but…” Harry began to slide down the wall and sat down on the floor, his hands rested on his knees as he faced the wall opposite them.

Ron followed after him, saying, “You like him.”

Harry gave out a dry laugh. Ron couldn’t help himself but to side eye him with worry.

When the laughter receded not so long after, Harry suddenly said, “I know,” before he repeated it once again, this time softer as if he was whispering to himself. “I know.” One of his hand went up to cover his eyes, his mouth quirking up in a smile. He felt like an idiot only realizing it by now and the one who had to push him to notice it was Orion bloody Lestrange.

Ron didn’t know if he should say anything or nothing.

In the end, he decided someone had to push the conversation going. Harry seemed to be content wallowing in silence and that wasn’t how you should solve a problem.

“Why don’t you tell him?” he asked softly.

Harry put his hand down and looked at Ron straight in the eyes. His mouth twitched in an amused manner, but his gaze was rueful. When he answered, his voice was just as soft if not strained. “I can’t do that.”

Automatically he said, “Why not?” As soon as the question left his mouth, though, the realization dawned upon him. “Ah, your _mate_.”

Harry’s smile appeared again, this time it looked so pained Ron winced inwardly seeing it. He was just about to apologize, or anything really, for even letting his best friend put on such an expression. But before he could stutter anything, Harry spoke up.

“Yeah, that.” The werewolf turned his head around so he was now staring at the wall opposite them instead. “When I meet my mate, I can’t just throw Marius away. It would not be fair. I will just end up hurting him and I… I don’t want him to hate me. I don’t want him to think that he was just someone who is worth nothing when in fact he deserves so much more.”

Ron could understand where Harry was coming from. It would be unfair for Marius if Harry ever did that. And when he remembered the small kind smiles that the human was showing despite losing his only family, Ron could understand that Marius has already been through a lot and doesn’t need more pain.

“Lestrange is right. Marius deserves so much more.”

“Oh wow, is the world now about to end? You just said that _that_ Vamp is right.” Ron tried to ease the atmosphere with his lame joke. He relieved a small sigh when he heard Harry’s snort and his expression turned lighter.

Ron could feel his friend’s sadness at his every pore. Wanting to be with someone, but that someone is not your mate is hard. It was like betraying what their lives are made of.

“We really can’t help who we fall in love with, can we?" He patted Harry’s shoulder softly, trying his best to comfort the other.

Harry looked at him gratefully. “No, no, we really can’t. So before these feelings of mine get even stronger, I have to bury them all away.” He paused before saying, “For his sake and mine.”

Ron knew it wasn’t his place to say that they actually didn’t know what Marius would think about this matter so Harry couldn’t just decide for the both of them. Instead, he just hummed in response.

They stayed there for a few more minutes before Harry schooled his features and stood up, holding out a hand to Ron’s direction. Ron took the offered hand and they began to walk towards the Hufflepuff Common Room.

……….

As soon as the four got out of the Chamber, the door softly went back into place, closed and sealing the Chamber until someone tried to enter it once again.

Hermione stared at the Grimoire in her hands. She could feel a twinge of magic in it, making the book felt like it is alive. She shook her head before promptly turning around to check on her companions. They all looked like they had seen something that caused a turmoil in their minds. Even the usually bubbly Ginny now remained quiet while Luna seemed to be pondering about something. Marius—well, he looked like someone just defined his existence and his face was too pale, too gaunt.

Hermione was also experiencing a mixture of feelings from what she saw before in the Chamber. It showed her things about the Dark Lord that they had never known about even though she still couldn’t understand what the spirit meant by telling her about the Dark Lord’s ‘chains of power’ that they had to break somehow.

Hermione held the Grimoire close to her heart. It gave her a warm feeling of hope that they are now closer to figuring things out. She knew she had to share this information with the adults but this was not the time. First, they had to put Marius’ plan into action. She was snapped from her thoughts when Ginny suddenly spoke up.

“Hermione, I have to go. Good luck with whatever it is that you are planning.” There was a tight smile on her lips as she said that. Hermione gave her a look of concern but Ginny shook her head as if saying that she would be fine. Then, she was gone.

Next was Luna’s turn. “I have to go as well,” the girl informed them with a small smile. "This mini-adventure was fun. See you later, Hermione, Marius.” With a wave, she followed Ginny out.

After Luna has completely left their sight, Hermione carefully turned around to look at Marius. She didn’t know what she expected to see on the human’s face, but she knew there was something hidden beneath the smooth façade he put on.

If Marius caught her staring, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he asked, “Are you ready to return to Hufflepuff, Hermione?” all the while shivering slightly as the wind blew. Absentmindedly, he tugged on the cloak on his shoulders closer to him. Hermione noticed that a small smile escaped Marius’ lips when he seemed to remember that the cloak did not belong to him.

“Yes. We have a lot to talk about.”

They reached Hufflepuff Common Room only to find Orion sitting across Ron, immersed deeply in a game of chess. The sight made Hermione’s eyebrows rose even though Marius remained indifferent.

Meanwhile, Harry was sitting on one of the couches. He was silent, in a somehow strange way that may or may not be only Hermione’s feeling, only recognizing their entrance by nodding his head before quickly staring at anything that was not the both of them. This time, Hermione’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Where are the others?” she asked as she removed her coat and placed it at one of the back of a sofa.

It was Ron who answered her without straining his eyes from the board in front of him. “Well, Zabini asked Neville to go on a last minute Hogsmeade date while Parkinson dragged Nott to buy some sweets as her stash needs replenishing.”

Marius abstractedly followed Hermione as she sat on the sofa with a book in hand from the shelf behind them.

Although he managed to put on his usual calm demeanor, Marius actually couldn’t stop thinking about the things he learned from the Chamber. He found out the truth about his birth. He knew now that he was basically the reason why his mother did not step out in the First War. He felt like it was all his fault one way or another and he couldn’t help but to think the blood of innocents were in his hands. He felt dirty, unworthy. Worst, he didn’t know what to do to stop the feeling.

Marius’ hands began to shake the longer he dwelled on that thought. His breathing was coming in short. He could feel his body started to shiver too and the last thing he needed right now was a panic attack. He painstakingly tried to look up in an effort to distract himself. Then he met Harry's gaze.

The werewolf seemed caught off guard at first, clearly not expecting Marius to look back at him, before he finally looked at him as if he was searching for something. Marius didn't mind maintaining the eye contact because ever so slowly, his breathing returned to normal. The striking green of Harry's eyes managed to calm his body and somehow, he didn't know how what or why something within Marius tugged him closer to the werewolf.

It was Harry’s question that pulled him from once again dwelling in another deep thought. “Is there something wrong, Marius?”

The werewolf’s voice was low and concerned enough that it even stopped Hermione from her reading to look at the human beside her. Marius’ expression was just as unexplainable as usual, but the way he subtly pursed his lips told a different story.

‘ _Just what did he find out while inside that Chamber that rattled him so?’_ Hermione couldn’t ask.

“Marius? Are you okay?”

They both looked at Marius worriedly when the human didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked like he was frozen on the spot, unmoving. Even Orion and Ron stopped what they were doing to check on him.

_‘Am I okay?’_

The brief calm shattered at that question. Marius’ mind scattered into pieces again.

Almost all at once, his surroundings turned into nothing as thoughts began to plague his senses, overwhelming him. His Mother—oh, his beloved mother—who died that night, had she just only aborted him, her magic would've been still on its original strength and she would still be alive until today. But because of him, because he was born, she paid the price of his birth the night that she died. Fate exacted the proper payment for the spell that she cast years ago.

“Marius?” Harry repeated urgently.

Marius covered the left-side of his face using his left hand. His body began to shake, he could feel something rattle inside of him. He needed to calm down again, completely, right now.

He looked up and know immediately it was a mistake to look in those emerald eyes full of concern for him. He could feel the eyes of his cousin, Ron, and Hermione too, just full of worry and confusion for him. It truly was a mistake because, different from before, other thoughts began to flood his very mind, overtaking his sense.

Marius imagined those emerald eyes hating him if he ever found out that he was the reason they lost many Werewolves in the past. What was worse if Harry found out that _Draco_ was the one that killed his mother, will Harry still look at him the same way?

He could feel it, the locks of something dark within him was rattling so loudly that he could not hear the voice of anyone in the room as he began to breathe heavily, his body full on shaking that he was wondering how he was still standing. The darkness of his self that he kept from ever appearing was trying their hardest to appear from its box where Draco trapped them in his mind.

_“Draco. Remember, you are a Nullum. A witch—well in your case, a_ wizard _—that bears Light and Darkness within your person. You have to keep them in the balance as always,” Narcissa said as she combed the blonde hair of a young Draco._

_“What if I tip the balance? What happens to me then?” her son asked, his eyes averted as he watched Beau rolling on the grass to find the perfect spot for a nap._

_“Well, my dear,” Draco looked back at her as she explained in a way for him to easily understand. “If you lean too much on the Light, you will become someone who will only care about the greater good, not caring about the consequences of your actions. But if you chose the Darkness…” Her voice became wary as if warning Draco. “You will be consumed by it. Your emotions will shut down and you will be a husk of your true self. You will become someone who will be drunk with power.”_

_“So being too good and too bad is both bad?” Draco asked, confused._

_His Mother looked at him as if she understood how it did not make sense to a child of his age. She merely nodded._

_“What causes being bad Mother?” he asked once again as if noting it to assure that he would not try to lean to the Darkness too much._

_“Self-hatred is one amongst others, but they are mostly negative things. So it is best to keep those feelings and thoughts locked away within ourselves to maintain the balance of who we are.” Draco looked about to ask a dozen more questions but his Mother stopped him, by saying. “It is a good day, Draco. Let us not speak about such things any deeper, shall we?”_

_Narcissa kissed her son’s forehead and Draco nodded his head, basking in the warmth of his Mother._

“Marius!” A voice stopped Draco from his musings.

_‘Marius is not my name_ ,’ he thought bitterly as he felt Harry’s hands on his shoulders. They were warm, just like his Mother’s. His Mother’s love was what killed her.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Orion looked at Marius with eyes full of worry as they could not comprehend what was currently going on within his head.

Orion’s eyes then flashed to Hermione sharply as he began to ask. “What the hell happened in the Chamber?”

“I don’t know exactly, but we all saw different things. I saw a glimpse of the past. I think Ginny’s was the future and Luna was the present. I never knew what Marius saw as we were all unconscious during that time. He was left with the guardian of the Chamber,” she explained as clearly as she could.

“How could you leave him alone?” Orion gritted out, but he knew he could not blame Hermione as she snapped back.

“We had no choice! As soon as we entered there, we did not know that we were going to be tested!”

Orion scoffed but he could understand the witch if he were in her position, so he just snapped his eyes back to his cousin. His condition reminded him of himself. Of how broken he was when he found out the broken connection he has with his wolf. Of how he blamed himself.

“Potter. Move.”

Harry flinched as his hands were still on either side of Marius. When he saw the glare that Lestrange gave him, he removed them.

Before anyone could make a move Orion stood in front of Marius and held both of his cheeks with his hands, Marius—no, _Draco’s_ —blue-grey eyes looked up at him. Orion then whispered in a voice that he knows would be heard by any of them in the room, but he did not care.

“It is not your fault. Nothing is your fault.” Draco’s eyes widened as something flashed within his eyes that Orion almost did not catch. He looked about to protest, so Orion continued to speak. “We are all but pawns in this game called life that fate concocted. Whatever happened was meant to be. There was no way for you to stop any of it.”

Draco’s breathing was now evening as he slowly regained control of himself. A small smile tugged his lips before he looked up at his cousin.

“Orion, I kil—“

Before he could finish his sentence, Draco suddenly fell forward and straight into Orion who actually hadn’t meant to force his cousin into unconsciousness. He just wished Draco could calm his mind and sleeping seemed like the best idea.

“Sleep, Marius. We will speak when you wake.”

Orion then began to carry him to his quarters, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione stunned on their places.

“What just happened?” Ron asked once the cousins were out of sight.

Hermione shook her head. “I think Marius saw something within that Chamber that shook him as much as it did to me and the others.” She then glanced at Harry whose hands were fisted so tight it turned white.

She was about to ask something, but Ron cut her off as if indirectly telling her if her question was about Harry, the other werewolf would be fine in some time. They had to discuss other things. “So, what exactly did you see in the Chamber, Mione?”

Hermione understood his silent words and instead gestured to the other seating around her. “Take a seat you two. You will need it.”

……

When Hermione began her story, little by little, Harry’s posture went from rigid to inquiring. Ron looked both terrified and confused at the same time, if not repressing a shudder.

“So, you are saying that the Dark Lord has some kind of super power that makes him immortal,” the Weasley stated.

Hermione bit her lip. “We were all unsure of how he was still alive till now. But with this information, we have proof that he might have something like that.”

“He was sealed, though. It still is possible that that was the reason he still didn’t die,” Harry began to say that made Ron nod his head profusely.

Hermione began to contradict what he said. “Yes, he was sealed, but how is it that he knew exactly how to break the seal when we all know that the only ones present in his sealing was our Headmaster Dumbledore, Narcissa, and your parents, Harry?”

All eyes widened and then Ron began to speak up. “She’s right. It would be impossible that any of them would be a mole or anything, but Hermione, are you implying that when they sealed the Dark Lord, his soul transferred to another vessel?”

Harry and Hermione’s eyebrows rose as they have never seen Ron brainstorm this much other than when he was playing chess.

“It is possible. She said ‘the monster would live in another vessel and return once again’, so I think the Dark Lord was able to transfer his soul.”

Harry finished Hermione’s sentence, “And waited for Narcissa Black to die to return to his former one?”

Hermione nodded.

“But how was he able to do all that when he was just a mere vampire bitten?” Ron asked once again.

This time, Hermione looked down, not knowing the answer to that question as she shook her head. There were too many questions than answers and if they need to defeat the Dark Lord before he was able to set all his plans, they had to find out how to break his chains of power.

As the three were thinking too hardly, a voice began to tear them away from their thoughts.

“My Mother.” Orion’s voice rang in the room and they all looked back to see him leaning on the wall at the end of the Hallway heading to the room of Marius.

Without missing a beat, Harry asked, “How is he?”

Orion raised an eyebrow. “Asleep. Beau is by his side so it will be fine,” he answered as he sauntered to one of the couches and plopped himself as if exhausted.

“Mind sharing us your theories?” Hermione then began to cut away the tension apparent in the room.

Orion nodded as if understanding her. “As you all know, Bellatrix Black was the first to become the Dark Lord’s follower. She is the most loyal and his right hand. All the plans and tactics are made by her when the Dark Lord was indisposed.”

Hermione then became all curious and Orion caught her inquisitive eyes. He was also creeped out when the three were now watching him closely.

“But I am sure as hell he somehow borrowed my Mother’s power to create something. I don’t know what, but when the Dark Lord was sealed, my mother and the others who scattered did their hardest to search where he was sealed.”

“They didn’t find him did he?”

Orion shook his head and began to continue. “You weren’t too far off from your theory though, Granger. He did transfer his soul to an object and my Mother was able to speak to him by allowing the Dark Lord to possess a human body.”

Hermione abruptly stood up before pacing around. “No, that is impossible! I could understand it if it were transferred to another object, but to take over a living human?” Her eyes widened suddenly.

Harry and Ron watched her as her face paled.

“Possessed? What does that mean, Hermione?”

“Possession is taking over another body without the permission of the owner. Technically, those two souls will battle over for the control of the body and whoever loses will have their soul destroyed. Never to exist nor reincarnated ever again.”

Ron swore.

Hermione ignored him and opted to ask Orion. “Did you know who he possessed?”

Orion shrugged his shoulders. His eyes were a pool of darkness and regret as he recalled what he saw. “It was some witch. After the Dark Lord revealed his location, he left the body he possessed and as you said, the witch never awoke ever again. She was a husk of herself.”

“How did you know all of this?” Harry asked, fury in his eyes.

Orion replied him with a cold tone. "I have Bellatrix as a Mother, Nymphadora as my sister, and Rudolphus as my Father. I have seen much worse things than you have ever seen Potter, so don’t ask me how I knew all of it. Unlike you, I was not raised to a loving family. Mine was _kill, torture, and murder_. I chose to be different, I know. Doesn’t mean I could change the fact what I have seen and know. Unless you want my memory cleaned, huh?”

There was a flash of understanding in Harry’s eyes that Orion saw. The wolf was really an open book.

Hermione spoke again. “She was preparing you for this day, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. The reason why I haven’t committed murder or torture was because she was training me to kill Dumbledore. She wanted for me to have the honor of breaking one of our Lord’s seals.”

Ron then snorted, trying to ease the mood as he gave out a single sentence that brightened them a bit. “Glad you decided not to follow the Family tradition.”

Orion huffed out a breath and gave the three a grin. “Couldn’t be any gladder.”

They shared a smile before Harry brought back the previous subject. “You mentioned an object that the Dark Lord possessed. Do you think you know where it is?”

Orion tilted his head to try and remember where he last saw that black book before replying, “The black book was placed under heavy guard in my Mother’s Library back at Lestrange Manor.”

Hermione was clearly disappointed at this. She wanted to have at least studied the book where the Dark Lord’s soul used to reside. She was sure there was something about that object and the chains of power that the spirit was telling her. She just did not know what connected the two together.

“I am going to research more on about the souls in the library. You two,” Hermione pointed at the werewolves, “are coming with me.” She then turned to Orion. “I will inform you if we ever find something. Oh, and tell Marius we will begin our brewing tomorrow after classes.”

The vampire nodded and waved them out. As soon as the door closed, he felt the presence of Marius staring right at him. He gave his cousin a small smile. “How long have you been standing there?”

Marius came forward before curling himself at one of the couches. “Not long.”

“Mind telling me what happened to you in the Chamber?” Orion asked carefully. He didn’t want his cousin to have another episode, but he knew they have to talk about it sooner or later.

Marius looked hesitant at first before he seemed to have given up whatever conflicting thoughts he had in mind.

“Okay.” Then he began relieving the not-so-joyful experience.

…….

At a dark alcove a few rooms from the kitchen, a witch stood in front of an elf that looked to have been under a curse. The elf’s body was seemingly swaying, losing its balance bit by bit. As soon as the witch waved her wand, the elf stiffened and began to shakily open her hand palm up as if she was about to receive something. A vial of clear liquid inside was put upon it soon after.

“Now, Missy, all you have to do is place the content of this vial in _his_ dinner. No one must find out about this,” the witch softly voiced out her order.

The elf repeated back in a shaky voice, clearly trying to fight off the control. But as the witch flicked her wand, the elf answered back straight as if she was not under the Imperius.

“Missy will pour liquid to the boy’s dinner.”

“After you do it, return back to me in this same place.”

The elf nodded its head enthusiastically. “Yes, Master.”

“Now go.”

The elf disappeared with a pop to the kitchen, hiding the vial in her clothes she started to do her chores along with the others and the order still ingrained in her mind.

As soon as the elf was no longer in her presence, the witch pushed back her hood, only to reveal blonde hair. Luna took off her cloak and slowly walked out of the alcove. Seeing that no one was around, she started to walk away as if nothing happened. Her Master’s plan was about to be set in motion and her doing this would allow her to see her Father once again. She looked up at the crescent moon, counting the days she had left before the plan was put into action. She just hoped that her friends will find it in their heart to forgive her for what was about to happen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you guys think, i like hearing your thoughts! thanks once again and see you all in the next chapter!XD


	21. Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again guys! thank you all so much for your support, geez i cant believe it i reached 500+ kudos! it made me happy thank you all so much! to all the kind and supportive comments i loved reading them it made me happy despite having a crappy day in college. 
> 
> to my beta Authlene thank you as always for everything!!XD 
> 
> i wont be updating by next week since i need to focus on my finals which is coming up, wish me luck!
> 
> and once again thank you to you all who gave this a read, left kudos, subscribed, and bookmarked this story! hope you guys enjoy this chapter!XD

Marius felt a bit better after talking to Orion about what happened in the Chamber. He knew that Orion meant well when the Vampire kept on repeating that it was not his fault. He even accepted Orion’s reasoning to it, but he still could not find it in his heart to forgive himself for the things he now knew.

He clutched Beau closer to him as he snuggled his head into its fur to comfort himself. He was now alone in the Common Room, waiting for Hermione to show up so that they would begin brewing the Potion for Dumbledore. They hadn’t even found the time to speak to the Headmaster about their plan as he was currently on a business trip.

They all knew they had to do it soon. The mark on Orion’s hand had begun to hurt him more and more as the days passed. The Dark Lord was getting impatient and he was demanding results. They had to do it before Christmas break.

They also spoke about telling the other adults of their plan, but some decided against it because some of them might not approve of their plan. They knew the risks they were taking and also knew that the knowledge they found out about the Dark Lord was crucial. They debated and came to the conclusion that they would convince the adults _only_ if it was necessary for their plan, right now it wasn’t so they didn’t.

The door then opened to reveal Hermione carrying some of the ingredients that they needed for the potion. Following her was a mass of black unruly hair—Harry—and this brought a small smile to Marius’ lips. He stood up to offer help to Hermione. He took some of the jars from her and began to place them on the coffee table. Hermione huffed as she began to open up the Grimoire, showing her the potion that she wanted to brew.

“Okay, we almost got everything other than the lunar flowers that Neville will be harvesting tomorrow night,” Hermione voiced out as she read the instructions on how to brew the spell.

Harry placed all the remaining ingredients on the table. He remained quiet the whole time, which became odd to Marius.

“Are you going to help us make the potion, Harry?” Marius beamed at him. But when Harry faced him, he looked so withdrawn Marius had never felt so far away from him than ever.

“Sorry, Marius,” said Harry, his eyes not completely meeting Marius’s grey ones. “I just came with Hermione to deliver them.”

Marius was about to say something, but Hermione’s voice stopped him from doing so.

“Are you sure that it would be best to be brewing this potion here, Marius?” Hermione came closer to Marius to show him the Grimoire.

Marius replied her, “I forgot about that, but where are we going to brew it where it can’t be found?”

“What about the room of requirement?”

Marius rejected it. “Hermione, what if someone uses it at the time we needed it?”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Hermione began to think of a place and her eyes sparkled, an idea in them. “Don’t worry about it. I know of a place.” She then began to stack up the potion ingredients to better hold them and charmed them to look like books.

Marius looked back at Harry who remained silent at the whole exchange. He picked up the cloak that the Werewolf left him to return it. “Harry, here. Thank you.”

Harry took it with a nod of his head. Before Marius could ask what was wrong, Harry already moved to pick up the potion ingredients and headed out.

Hermione seemed to have noticed the exchange. "Did something happen?"

Marius shook his head, not knowing the answer himself.

"He probably just has a lot on his mind, Marius,” she comforted him. “We did find out a lot about the Dark Lord that we never expected.”

Marius nodded in understanding and began to carry some of the ingredients as well as they all headed out. Hermione knew there was a reason why Harry did what he did and she would be damned if she didn’t at least try to find out what caused it.

“We are going to brew a potion inside a girl’s lavatory?” Marius raised his eyebrows when they stopped walking.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, a shared smile etched on their features.

“No one ever uses this place, Marius,” the witch said as she set down the ingredients on the tiled floor. Harry followed suit. He placed the cauldron properly in one corner.

“Why?” Marius asked curiously.

Hermione just replied with what seemed to be a name. “Moaning Myrtle.”

As soon as the name escaped Hermione’s lips, the ghost came out of her stall.

“Oh, I see.” He waved his hand at Moaning Myrtle’s direction.

The ghost merely glared at him but as soon as she saw Harry, she squealed.

“Came to visit me, Harry?” she greeted in her squeaky voice.

Harry quickly turned to Hermione. “Uh, see you later,” he said and turned to Myrtle, mumbling the same thing, but he did not even spare Marius a glance before leaving the room altogether.

Marius was now sure that Harry was avoiding him one way or another. He released a sigh. He thought it was for the best as he knew being attached to any of them would make it harder for him to leave.

Marius knew he could not stay in Hogwarts any longer as what the guardian of the Chamber had voiced out. He swore he would not mess with the war. He knew just how much his existence could change it, but his promise to his Mother would not allow him to. He would still fulfill his promise to Harry. As soon as he had fortified the barrier, he will once again have to disappear. His identity had to be kept a secret at all times.

He decided that right after their plan was placed into action, he would leave Hogwarts altogether. He could use the war as a reason for him as a human to escape into the Muggle Realm. No one would blame him if he did.

But as he looked at Hermione, he remembered the bonds he had forged and it dug deep into his heart.

…….

Hermione and Marius began to create the potion in silence with a few small talks here and there. Both were startled out of their work when Ron came rushing in, panting.

"Dumbledore is back from his business trip and Harry had already asked to speak with him into Room of Requirement after curfew.”

Hermione looked at Marius as he nodded his head. They had to tell him now or risk losing this chance.

“How was Harry able to convince him anyway?”

Ron shrugged his shoulders. “You know how Harry is. He could become very persuasive.”  He looked towards Marius and asked. “You ready?”

Hermione waited for Marius to reply. They all knew if the information were to come out that Marius knew Draco, he would be hunted and tortured, probably killed even, for that valuable information he had.

“As ready as I ever will be,” he told the two with a grin.

Ron and Hermione smiled back at him.

“Don’t worry, you have all of us to protect you if ever something goes wrong.”

Marius smiled. “Thank you.”

Ron nodded before heading out to inform the others.

Marius headed off to the Room of Requirement as soon as it was already time. He trusted his friends to be there without them meeting up. As soon as he got to the seventh floor with caution, a door began to open in front of him. He pushed the door open, only to find out that he was the last one to get to the room.

Only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Orion were present. They were the representatives since they did not want to hound the Headmaster with their whole group.

Marius looked around the space and the room looked a bit exactly like the Headmaster’s Office.

He felt the Headmaster’s eyes watching him and he saw the sparkle in his eyes. He looked around to see that the others were already seated and waiting for him, so he sat down next to Orion who scooted over for him.

“Now that everyone is here, what is it that you all need to tell me?” The Headmaster began, breaking away the silence that enveloped the room.

Hermione looked around. She found out that she would be the one to explain their plan.

“Headmaster, we have information that we think you ought to know,” she began with a squeeze in the shoulder from Ron. “Lestrange was given a mission. He was asked to kill you, Headmaster.”

They all waited for the Headmaster’s reaction. Marius was also prepared to defend Orion but fortunately, Dumbledore merely released a deep sigh. His eyes then turned to the vampire who just looked at him as if he was prepared to allow the Headmaster to attack him at any moment, feeling that it was only right since he was asked to kill him.

“I knew that the moment Narcissa died, the Dark Lord would be after either me or the Potters one way or another.” He looked at all of his students and continued. “Though what surprised me was this unlikely alliance of yours.” A soft smile escaped his features as his eyes then fell to Marius. “I am fairly sure this is all you’re doing, Mr. Clarke.”

Marius just looked at the Headmaster as if knowing what he meant. He gave a small grin.

After that, they all explained to the Headmaster of their plan along with what they had found out about the Dark Lord. Dumbledore then turned to Orion who remained silent through it all and asked, “What made you defect?”

Orion turned to Marius. His cousin nodded. “I have seen too much of the horror that my family has done and I would never wish that for anyone. I want to protect those that are dear to me,” he explained truthfully.

The Headmaster stared at him for quite some time before he once again asked. “But being a spy, do you think you could handle it?”

Orion sighed at this. “I was raised by monsters. I think I can handle such a task.”

Dumbledore looked at him keenly and saw a bit of Severus in the child. He who also remained loyal to the Order but decided to be a spy in order for the vampires to be able to escape from being controlled by the Dark Lord.

Ron was gaping and Harry was shocked of what he heard about the truth regarding Draco Black’s birth. Harry was about to ask Hermione why she kept this from them. But before any of them could continue their discussion, Ron began to blurt out.

“Wait, so are you telling me that Draco Black was supposed to be born in the middle of the First War?” Hermione looked at him and sighed.

Harry stared at her for more information.

"Yes," she said simply, a bit tired of retelling what she found out.

“So, she was pregnant when she sealed the Dark Lord? And made the Blood Ward?”

Ron looked amazed and scared at the same time, mostly shocked. Harry was just purely astonished at the woman. She had such strength to not abandon her responsibilities and he felt in awe.

“Narcissa was indeed powerful. That is why she had the capability of changing the tides of war,” Dumbledore told them before turning to Orion. “Could you describe to me what this object looked like, Mr. Lestrange?”

"It was a black book, half of that book's size,” Orion pointed out to a book on one of the shelves. “It looked worn out, leather covering, and it wasn’t that thick.”

Dumbledore listened seriously, then he looked as if his doubts were confirmed. He folded his hands on the desk. He looked like he was remembering something of the past. The group waited for him to speak. When he did, it was not good news.

“I have seen an object that the Dark Lord always possessed, but it was not a book like the one that you have seen. It was a necklace and from what I remember on the day that we fought and sealed him, it was giving him power.”

It was then that Hermione was able to connect the dots of the objects and from what the spirit had said about the Dark Lord’s power.

“Are you telling us that these objects were the reason why the Dark Lord was so powerful?” she asked as her heart thumped loudly that she was sure all of them could hear except Marius.

“It is possible unless he is a child born with magic.” Dumbledore’s eyes glazed over at Marius but soon looked away.

Marius flinched noticing it.

Harry then spoke up. “It’s impossible. No male has ever been born with magic, nor a born hybrid.”

“If those objects do give him power, then it is imperative that we find it all and destroy it.” Dumbledore looked at his students who looked prepared for the upcoming war. He felt a huge pang of regret that in this war, he could not offer his help to any of them and yet, they decided to protect him. He wished that their true Elder could be here at his side to order them or tell them to wage war against the Dark Lord. But alas, he was also lost to them. “The others must be informed of this. I will convince them of your plan concerning me. That is the least I could do for all of you.”

Hermione summoned the Grimoire. Dumbledore’s eyes widened at the sight of it.

“Where?”

“Marius told me about it. It contains the instructions of the potion that you will ingest. We ventured the Chamber of Rowena Ravenclaw to get it and it is where I found out about the Dark Lord’s power and Narcissa.” Dumbledore looked at the Grimoire as if it filled him with something akin to hope. “Inside of this Grimoire lies the key to breaking the Dark Lord’s power. But until I find out how the Dark Lord created these objects or whatever they were made of, I cannot access it.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I will do what I can to find out more. But for now, you all need to rest." He then looked straight at Marius. “Mr. Clarke would you please stay behind.” At this, Orion, who was about to stand up, stayed in his seat instead along with the others. Dumbledore noticed this so he continued. “Alone.”

Hermione respected that so she pulled Ron and Harry. She could not pull Orion away as she felt like the Vampire would not like that.

Marius watched as Hermione, Harry, and Ron left the room. He stared at Orion who still haven't stood up from where he sat and stubbornly was holding a contest with the Headmaster.

“I will be right out, Orion,” he told his cousin.

Orion reluctantly stood up and followed the others out.

As soon as the door was gone, Dumbledore stood up and walked to one of the corners of the room. He picked up tea cups and sweets before placing them on his desk, offering them to Marius who shook his head and mumbled a thank you.

“I am proud of you Marius. You have accomplished the impossible and have brought the races together. Something that I know I would’ve never had done in my lifetime.” The Headmaster smiled at him.

“At the least, I was able to accomplish something.” _Something_ was left unsaid by Marius that the Headmaster seemed to have understood.

“Fate truly is full of surprises. When Alpha James informed me of your Mother’s death and of your existence—“ Marius— _Draco—_ froze his eyes widening for a fraction. He tried to not give away his surprise and remained calm as possible. But when Dumbledore continued his sentence, his heart was pounding too erratically for his façade to be believable. “—that was the day you came to Hogwarts to take your examination.”

With trembling lips, Draco asked, “Y-you knew?”

 _How?_ was the question Dumbledore soon answered as if it was the real question Draco asked.

“Fawkes.”

Draco's eyes snapped to find where the Phoenix was but he remembered this was not really the Headmaster’s Office, so he looked up into the sparkling eyes of Dumbledore.

“Then why? Why haven’t you told any of them about me?”

Dumbledore looked away from him, sadness evident in his crystal blue eyes. “Andromeda would stop at nothing to defeat Bellatrix for the sake of taking back her daughter.”

Draco’s eyes widened at this. “Nymphadora.”

Dumbledore looked back at him and nodded. “Bellatrix took her from Andromeda the moment she was born and was raised to be her protégé. No one knew of this but I and her. That is the reason why Andromeda would surely use you, had she got a hold of you. She would stop at nothing to take back what she lost.”

Draco released a breath he was holding to all the new information he had just received. He had to leave. He had to go…

 _‘Harry_.’

His thoughts turned back to the werewolf. But even so, he decided he couldn’t stay. He shut his eyes in determination and when he opened them, he stared at the Headmaster. He knew Orion would understand and he knew the bond they all forged would not be broken that easily. Everything had already been set, and he, the unneeded piece of this war, needed to walk away.

Draco knew that after Orion told him of his Mother’s order for him to do, he knew he had to leave. He would not allow himself to be a pawn in this war to be fought over by Andromeda and Bellatrix. He would’ve wanted to stay by Harry’s side with the werewolves but he knew he could not. His existence itself would lure all of their enemies and he couldn’t risk that, but he swore he would fulfill the promise of strengthening the blood wards first.

“You are powerful, Draco. Even more than your Mother with the right training.”

Draco’s eyes found those twinkling eyes of the Headmaster, but he was determined. “I can’t stay,” he said in a soft voice. He needed to voice it out more often in order to convince himself that he had to leave.

“I am not asking you that, Draco. All I ever ask of you now, would be up to you.” Dumbledore approached Draco and placed his hand on his shoulders. Draco regarded those eyes pleading him with concealed sadness. “Protect them—Hogwarts and its students cannot fall into the hands of anyone. Bellatrix cannot be taken lightly. She will assure that Hogwarts will be hers for the taking once I am gone.”

Draco looked down, feeling the weight of what the Headmaster is asking of him. His heart was beating erratically, his thoughts spiraling into a huge mess. He felt the Headmaster’s hand fall away. “I will do what I can, but do not expect me to stay. You and I both know what will happen if I ever stay. Everywhere I go, war will follow. Both sides will do their hardest to obtain me one way or another.”

Dumbledore nodded before he gave him a small smile. “You trying is enough for me and for what you have done, thank you. If they asked why I made you stay, tell them I am planning to send you to the Muggle realm to hide. They would understand that,” the Headmaster said, bowing his head slightly to Draco. 

Draco bowed respectfully back in return as he then stood up, breathed in, and went out of the room.

As soon as he was outside, he saw the others waiting for him. Draco smiled to himself, feeling satisfied to have accomplished such an endeavor before he once again disappeared. He just hoped that the seeds he had planted would grow and that this war would come to its conclusion.

Looking at his friends, he couldn't help but hope he would see them again after all of this.

….

In the darkest time of the night, Dumbledore stood in front one of his huge windows. He watched the silence of the castle as if memorizing it and etching it deep within his mind. The wind began to blow from his opened window, making some of his parchments ruffle as a thick tome was used to dampen the parchments from getting blown away.

A single parchment caught his eyes and the sparkle in his eyes dimmed. Written there were two Prophecies, one which Albus had directly heard from Trelawney, but the other was written by the same witch whom Albus had heard the first one from.

He was baffled as to which was the true Prophecy. But between the two, there was a huge difference. One spoke of the Dark Lord's bane and another child while the other only spoke about the Dark Lord's bane.

However, as he remembered how Draco was born, he now became sure of which was the true Prophecy. Sadness enveloped his very being as he now finally understood what the first passages meant, although he could not still understand what the other passages meant.

If what he was thinking was indeed the meaning of the Prophecy, then war truly cannot be avoided if this battle were to finally end. He was meaning to share his finding of the Prophecy to the others. But if they found out what Draco Black’s role in this war was, Andromeda will protest strongly as she would never accept it. At the same time, she will do her hardest to take back her daughter.

He gave a tired sigh as he sealed his letters and began to call upon his owl to deliver them. He was going to send messages to his fellow Order members if they would be inclined to help. He might not have been their True Elder, but he held a bit of power to try and command them.

“Be sure to send this to all of them, Artemis,” he patted the owl as he gave it the letters. The black feathered owl flapped his wings wide as if in understanding and picked up the letter using its talons. It opened its wings wide and began to fly into the darkness of the night.

Dumbledore watched Artemis fly away with hope in his heart that the Order would aid them in the war. He closed his eyes, finally sitting down his chair and tilting his head to try and feel a little sense of peace in the upcoming dangers of his life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think? see you on the next chapter!XD


	22. Frenzy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo guys, I apologize for not updating last Saturday. i have been busy these past few days but here is the next update.  
> I am wishing you all a very very merry xmas and hoppy holidays!XD  
> I want to thank all of you who have read, left kudos, comments, subscribed and all your loving supports it means a lot to me so thank you again!XD  
> To Authlene my beta thank you again for everything!XD  
> Enjoy~

 

The Great Hall was noisy with its usual chatters as dinner continued on.

Harry sat with Ron and his other pack mates in Gryffindor table. He was physically there, but his mind was elsewhere. Until now, he could not help but feel bad at the way he had been avoiding Marius these past few days. He was sure as hell Hermione noticed him and he was about to hear a very long monologue from her again. He grunted at the thought of that, but he was sure she was going to understand why he did it. Though, the guilt that ripped through him as he saw Marius’ eyes dimmed whenever Harry avoided him made his heart clench in the worst way possible.

Without him noticing, his eyes began to wander toward the Slytherin table, but the usual platinum blonde hair next to Nott and the others was nowhere in sight. He also noticed that Lestrange was not present though they all knew the reason for that. The Dark Mark had been bugging him like hell and it was draining his energy fast due to the pain that it brought forth.

Harry’s nose scrunched up at that. Had he not known the Vampire’s reasons, he would’ve thought that the git deserved it. Now that he was aware that Lestrange was merely wanting to protect those he loved and that he never had a choice in the matter, he felt bad for him.

His eyes roamed all over the room in search of the only platinum hair. The only hair color close to that that he was able to spot on was Lovegood’s blonde hair. She was reading another magazine about some weird mysterious creatures that some might find odd.

Harry released a heavy sigh as he found no sign of the human. He felt Ron nudge him on the arm and faced his best friend.

“If you’re looking for him he is currently with Neville at the Greenhouse.”

Harry’s eyebrow rose at this and he looked away from Ron. “I wasn’t…” Harry was not able to finish that sentence as Ron began to retort his words.

“Harry, I know and understand that you want to stay away from him now as you said, but you don’t have to hide from me that you still have affections for him because it is as obvious as the day,” Ron finished, seemingly proud of himself.

Harry scoffed at him. “It’s nighttime already”

“Well, I used it for the context.” Ron grinned.

Harry looked at him confused. “Who are you and what have you done to Ron?” Harry said surprised as he had never known Ron to be this sharp when it came to words.

Ron began to release a sigh and bowed his head. “I know. I think I have been hanging out too much with Parkinson. Her use of vocabularies is extensive.” Once again, Ron used a word that Harry was not used to hearing from him. “Oh, shit,” he cursed as he clasped his hands together and leaned his head to it on the table.

Harry just chuckled, clearly amused. “So, who is currently winning in your tug of war?” Harry patted Ron as he grumbled under his breath.

“I don’t think I will win this," he honestly said and Harry just gave him another pat before picking up his pumpkin juice and taking a long sip of it.

To help ease Ron’s troubles, he began to change the topic. “By the way, where is Mione?”

Ron looked up. “At the Greenhouse. God knows that when she and Marius speak, it’s as if they are in this world of enlightenment where everything I hear from them is gibberish.”

Harry snickered at that. Since he had been avoiding Marius, he also had to accidentally avoid Hermione as the witch would stay by Marius side for as long as she could, trying to figure out the things about the Dark Lord.

“I—“

Harry was not able to finish what he was about to say when suddenly his vision blackened and he fell to the ground. He clutched his body closer as he screamed in pain.

This made Ron's eyes went as wide as saucers. He rushed to Harry’s side as fast as he could, shaking his hysteric friend. All eyes in the Great Hall were watching now as the other Werewolves stood up and crowd around Harry whose body began to convulse. Ron tried to clutch Harry’s hands that began to morph into claws and now digging into his own flesh, arms bleeding.

Harry growled at Ron in response, eyes unseeing and little by little, they turned animalistic, green irises fading into golden ones. That was a sign that his werewolf side was about to resurface.

Everyone froze in shock. The Headmaster along with the other Professors went to see what was happening.

As soon as Dumbledore arrived, he shouted at the top of his lugs, knowing that Severus would do as he was told and create a cure at once. "Severus, wolfsbane!"

Snape rushed to his office to create the cure for the poison, the others began to take a step back away from Harry's form.

Dumbledore turned to McGonagall. The witch seemed stunned as she watched Harry fought for control.

“Minerva, cast a barrier around Mister Potter!"

Professor McGonagall did as she was told. She cast spell after spell of barriers to keep Harry in, preventing him from causing a massacre.

"Prefects! Escort everyone to their common rooms right this instant. No one in or out until this matter is taken care of. Hurry!"

The Prefects led all of the students back to their dorms as soon as they heard his command. Some started panicking and the older Vampires seemed to have been merely amused by the thing that seemed to play right in front of their eyes.

Luna, standing around the other witches, looked like she was a bit afraid before she slipped away from the crowd of students, slowly but surely moving out of the room.

Blaise, who realized that Neville and Marius were still in the greenhouse, began to rush there, leaving Theo and Pansy to deal with the other lower years who seemed afraid. Every one of them knew what Wolfsbane could do to a werewolf. Either they die or they lost control and kill everything in sight until the Wolfsbane was out of their system.

Harry's body contorted as his transformation began. He screamed then whimpered, feeling the pain much more painful than his first transformation when he was young as this was a forced transformation. He could feel his bones breaking and rearranging themselves. If he wasn’t as strong as he was now, this pain would’ve made him passed out already. Both he and his wolf were rejecting the Wolfsbane in their system. That was one of the reasons why his transformation was brutal.

“Mr. Weasley, please head on to your Common Room as well,” the Headmaster said.

Ron shook his head. “He is my Alpha, Headmaster. I cannot just leave him.”

“I know that you are truly loyal. But you and I both know that if Harry did complete his transformation, he would not recognize any of us until the Wolfsbane is out of his system.”

Ron looked conflicted, but the stern eyes of the Headmaster made him leave.

“Headmaster, here.”

Pomona handed Dumbledore Harry's cup where they found out was laced with a concentrated dose of Wolfsbane. It was brewed so skillfully, colorless and odorless even to the Werewolves strong sense of smell.

The Professors who were left watched as the human was gone, replaced with a huge midnight pelted wolf. Its teeth bared at their direction, paws complete with sharp nails that they were sure could slice their necks easily.

Harry growled. When he was about to attack the first person he saw, his werewolf form was hit by an invisible force. He kept on attacking it, no longer understanding any of the words those around him were spouting. He could not wait to sink his teeth to their necks and maul them bloody in the ground, painting the room red.

He hit the invisible wall continuously until a crack was then seen. Minerva and Pomona raised their wands high, prepared to hex him at any time he would be able to break out of his containment.

With a final hit, the barrier finally cracked.

Harry could finally smell his surroundings, the fear radiating around the room. He smelt candy from the old vampire, another awful scent of soil from the fat on his left while the witch who kept a barrier around him smelt of a cat. His nose scrunched up with dislike at them. They looked prepared to face him with animosity as soon as he made a single move. He was prepared to attack the fat one, but a soft breeze passed over them from the slowly closing door of the Great Hall as Minerva tried to close it, confining him there.

As soon as he smelt their plan, he crashed into the dining table and began to topple the huge piece of wood at the three Professor’s direction. He took that chance to run out of the Great Hall. He did not leave unscathed. It seemed like one of the witch hit him with a spell that cut through his thick skin and pierced him like hell.

…….

As soon as Blaise located Neville, he hugged the life out of him. Neville was astounded at the affection Blaise graced him with, so he soaked it up like a sponge since it was rare for Blaise to hug him outside where all people could see.

"I'm glad you’re safe."

Neville was confused when Blaise released him too quickly. He looked back at Hermione, trying to make up on what Blaise meant. Hermione was looking suspicious as well and so she asked.

“Why would we not be safe?”

Blaise calmed his nerves before replying. "You both need to head to the Common Room now. Potter was poisoned with Wolfsbane and is currently transforming at the Great Hall."

Neville gasped in shock while Hermione's eyes widened, her mind whirred, thinking on who had the capability and will to target Harry in plain sight. She had to know exactly what happened. There might be some clues left on who laced him with poison.

“Hermione.”

The witch was startled from her musings when she felt hands on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I was lost in thought,” she replied.

If this were not a serious time, Blaise would’ve teased her. Unfortunately, there was no time to idle. “We have to go,” he announced before grabbing Neville’s hand and tugging him to the nearest Common Room which was Hufflepuff’s.

"Wait. Marius!" Neville blurted out, causing the other two to stop moving.

“Where did he go?"

"Astronomy Tower," answered Hermione quickly.

Blaise nodded at her. Neville looked reluctant at letting him go but they all worried that Marius was left unprotected against Harry who was now a crazed wolf.

"Be safe." Neville clutched Blaise's hand. Even if he wanted to help Blaise, he couldn’t go against Harry as he was their leader.

Before Blaise could go, a voice echoed in the silence of the Hall.

"Don't worry, Longbottom. Blaise won't be the one searching for Marius," drawled someone from behind them. They turned around, only to see Orion walking towards them.

“Orion? Aren’t you supposed to be in your room resting?” Blaise began to ask.

The vampire merely huffed. “And how do you propose I rest when I could hear panicked voices all over the place?” His eyebrows rose.

"It will be faster if I came along,” Blaise replied.

Orion shook his head. "Go, Blaise. I will not be tolerating a weeping bumbling mess of a Longbottom if he finds out you are mangled to death by his Alpha."

Blaise was about to protest, but Orion’s eyes stopped him from doing so.

"Be careful," was all Blaise could reply.

"It’s Potter, Blaise. Do you really think I will lose?"

Hermione gave a worried look. They might not be close, but they were all on the same side. “Don’t let your guard down.”

Orion grinned at that. “Have I ever?”

After he said that, he disappeared. They all knew that he had to be quick on his feet to get to Marius before Harry.

"We have to go.” Blaise tugged Neville as they began to run in the direction of Hufflepuff Common Room.

…

Harry, in his wolf form, ran with no direction. His mind was muddled and control was not in him. His instinct directed him. He growled and snarled at everything and nothing.

Suddenly, his nose caught something in the air. He drew in a deep breath and though oddly faint, he could smell it—the smell of freshly cut grass. The scent attracted him that he easily ran towards its direction as fast as he could.

…..

Marius was once again at the top of Astronomy Tower, clearing his thoughts of what was to come. His brain was filled with possibilities he thought could happen. The Headmaster’s voice still rang in his mind as clear as day, asking him of the impossible. By giving protection to Hogwarts, it would lead to his identity’s reveal and worse, his aunt might find out about his magic and that is something that cannot happen. He would not allow anyone to make him a tool for this war. He had already caused too much death the day he was conceived.

His thoughts then made its way to Harry. The way he had been avoiding him these past few days had begun to be so obvious that he was growing irritated. He was not sure whether to snap at the werewolf or just be silent and allow things to happen.

Marius released a huge sigh, his mind was so full of things already. He did not want to leave Hogwarts while having bad blood with Harry. It would not be right and it would bug him all the time.

He clutched his chest where he felt a sting at the thought of Harry hating him or being mad at him for something that he was not sure he did.

A sudden movement from behind him caused him to snap from his thoughts. His head looked back to see who it was, only to see his cousin Orion who released a huge sigh of relief upon seeing him. He could see the exhaustion on his cousin's face and he began to wonder why his cousin had rushed to where he was. Then he thought there must have been something wrong or something happened while he was gone.

Marius raised his eyebrow at this. “Is there something happening that you rushed here to see me?”

Orion merely raised his hand up in the air to stop Marius from speaking. “No time to explain. We have to go.” He then pulled on his cousin’s hand and began to tug him down the stairs when suddenly, he heard a distant growl emanating just below them.

“Shit!” Orion cursed. He pulled Marius up the stairs once again.

Marius was baffled by what was happening. Orion then released him to look down at the balcony as if measuring how high it is from the ground.

“You are not thinking what I thought you are thinking right, Orion?” Marius asked warily and a bit scared.

Orion looked back at him and gave him a shaky grin. “You know me too well, cousin, despite our short meeting.” He then approached Marius slowly, causing Marius to take a step back.

“Wait! At least explain to me what is happening!”

Orion turned a deaf ear as Marius began to wail when he ignored the human’s demands to know what was happening. He grabbed his cousin before going over to the balcony once again. “No time, Marius. You can spell the ground so that we won’t actually be injured, right?”

Marius nodded shakily, not knowing what to do as he felt his mind freeze at what is about to happen. He trusted his cousin too much to doubt him, though.

“Okay then, here we go.”

“I swear to God this better have a good explanation, Orion—"

Orion heard the loud growl behind him. Without looking back and without any hesitation, he jumped.

“NO! YOU GIT! I AM NOT PREPARED!” Marius screamed as they freefall before his words turned into incantations that cushioned their landing.

“YOU IDIOT!” He screamed once again because he could. “You are lucky adrenaline got the best of me and I could cast that spell!”

Orion drowned out the mad voice of Marius as he sprawled on the ground to calm himself from what they did. He was panting hard and he could see the faint shaking of Marius’ body. He was sure that he needed to apologize, beg even. He had never seen his cousin that shaken before.

After quite a long rant, Marius’ allowed himself to sit next to Orion, his knees drawn to his chest as he tried his hardest to calm his erratically beating heart. His shaking hasn't disappeared one bit.

When he could speak without the urge to hit his cousin in the head, he asked, "What exactly happened?”

Orion sat up and was about to explain when he saw furious yellow eyes staring right back at him from behind Marius.

His eyes widened as his thoughts screamed at him.

 _‘How was Potter here at only such a short amount of time?_ ’

He quickly took a stance to shield Marius away from Potter as the werewolf snarled and growled at both of them. He had seen Potter a dozen times in his other form. He knew perfectly well why he was said to have been the Chosen One.

He was huge even among the other werewolves older than him. His thick black fur looked menacing, a warning that he was dangerous. He radiated power and since the wolfsbane was currently in his system, only his bloodlust remained. Potter was asleep along with his wolf side. Had he been awake, green eyes would’ve been there instead of yellow, golden predatory eyes, only seeking blood and death.

“Is that?”

Marius’ voice broke Orion’s thoughts. He nodded slowly.

Marius had never seen any one of the werewolves in their wolf form and he could not help but be awed at how huge the wolf in front of him was. Its midnight fur looked so soft to the touch but he could also feel the danger it could bring if he ever was careless. He wondered who it was and as he looked at the wolf’s eyes, he now understood why the wolf in front of them looked murderous.

“Wolfsbane?”

Again, another nod from Orion. Marius was pushed back again by Orion as the wolf took a sudden step forward. Its golden eyes directly watching Marius as if he knew something.

Marius had a look of confusion in his eyes. He stared back at the wolf and could see that he was being watched carefully. He suddenly felt a sense of familiarity towards the midnight wolf.

“Harry?” the human whispered softly.

Orion’s eyebrow rose at the way Marius guessed who the wolf was without him needing to say anything.

Harry growled in response, his teeth bared and body prepared to jump at them.

“Marius, get back. Potter won’t recognize you.”

As soon as Orion finished his warning, Harry jumped at them. The vampire almost failed to defend himself when the huge black wolf went for his neck. Orion retaliated. Using his speed, he clamped his hand over Harry's throat and tried to flip him on the ground.

But Harry was heavy so he used that advantage against Orion and used his claw to swipe at Orion’s stomach. He missed by an inch. Orion jumped back.

Marius was about to run to Orion to aid him, but his cousin raised his arm to stop him.

“Do not interfere, Marius. You have to keep your secret.”

With those words, Marius took a step back and stood just a few feet away from him.

Orion was at a disadvantage. He could feel his hunger striking and the dull throb of the Dark Mark on his arm was beginning to ache once more. He almost clutched it when Harry began to dash in his direction. He elongated his nails just a bit, no choice but to injure Potter enough to prevent him from moving too much until the Professors arrive.

The two creatures began to attack one another, slashing and clawing. The sound of growls from the wolf was filling the night as the vampire silently moved with the wind. Orion was about to attack Harry’s hind leg when Harry suddenly clamped his teeth onto Orion’s arm, where his Dark Mark lie. This time, it was Orion’s scream that echoed in the night.

Marius tensed hearing the painful sound his cousin let out. His eyes widened seeing the two people he adored was now about to tear each other apart. He knew he could not stand by any longer. He had to help.

Marius clutched the necklace that seals his magic and willed a substantial amount of his power to flow in his body. The sudden feeling of magic that ran through his veins suddenly warmed up his whole being, better than the small amount he usually had to endure when the seal was still on. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, black irises flashed as a cloud of mist engulfed the surroundings.

Orion gritted his teeth at the pain of Harry’s jaw that were trying to break his arm for sure. His eyes were cloudy when suddenly, he realized a black mist surrounded him and Harry. He didn't even notice the teeth that clamped his arm was gone. All he knew was that suddenly, another presence was beside him and someone didn’t stop muttering gibberish in Latin that ignited the air around them.

Orion turned around. There he saw _Draco,_ holding his hands in front of himself that began to glow as barriers by barriers of magic surrounded them. He realized a little bit too late that his arm was warm too, his body closing his wound five times faster than usual.

A growl turned his attention back to Harry who bared his teeth in anger, having lost his prey.

Draco muttering intensified at that. Orion might know not of what his cousin meant, but he knew enough that those spells Draco cast would cost a lot of magic.

“Draco, you can’t use your magic!” Orion shouted with all the energy he could muster, but Draco merely gave him a small smile and answered.

“Don’t worry, I set up a shield.” He placed one of his hand on Orion's forehead and whispered. “Sleep, cousin. I will take care of Harry.”

Orion was about to respond, but his eyelids grew too heavy for him to form coherent words. In no time, the world turned black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still cant believe that this reached over 500+ kudos eeep made me so happy!:D thank you!!!!  
> tell me what ya guys think? see ya on the next chapter!XD


	23. Diversion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How have you been? An advance Happy New year to all! I will be updating now since I will be busy again this coming January 
> 
> I wanna give my big thanks to my beta Authlene, for editing this chapter and for everything!! all remaining mistakes are mine
> 
> Also thank you all who have left me kudos, comments I like hearing your thoughts, those who subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a read thank you all so very much!!!!XD
> 
> I am hoping that you will love this chapter XD
> 
> Without further ado here is chapter 23!

As soon as Draco noticed that Orion was asleep and the healing charm he cast was working properly, he faced the werewolf growling at his direction. Harry was circling around him as if looking for the best way to kill him easily.

Draco then began whispering a spell in the air that would incite traps around the ground near him so that Harry's claws wouldn't come anywhere close to his very vulnerable human skin. Different from Orion, Draco didn't have the benefit of superhuman strength and speed that would aid him in dodging Harry's monstrous attacks. He needed to stop the werewolf from getting too close, period.

He could see the werewolf began to realize what he did and without any kind of warning, Harry pounced towards him. Draco activated the traps in reflex, binding chains appeared on the ground when Harry stepped on one of the traps and caught the werewolf easily. The werewolf automatically growled and thrashed, but didn't come any nearer.

That was a close call, Draco thought as he released a tired sigh. He began to feel the pull of exhaustion from the sudden use of magic. He was about to release the barrier he set up on the place to ease his magic then alert the Headmaster when all of a sudden, the bindings from Harry's body were broken and they dissipated into thin air.

A loud howl filled up Draco's ears as his eyes widened. Without hesitation, Harry began to attack him again and Draco activated the other bindings only for them all to be broken. Before Harry could pounce on him, Draco raised up both of his arms, his mouth didn't stop throwing incantation over incantation, until a circle barrier appeared around himself. The set of jaws coming for him was stopped as the werewolf hit the barrier.

Draco panted. He was using too much magic that his body had not been used to. He could feel his energy draining. As he watched Harry tried his best to break upon his barrier again, that was then that Draco realized something. His eyes widened but he quickly calmed himself as the noise of the barrier breaking surrounded him along with the growls of the werewolf filled his senses.   

He once again rolled Latin on his tongue, calling forth roots that rooted deep in the ground. When he felt it respond to his magic, he commanded them to surface and watched as the wolf seemed to have felt the magic. Harry evaded the attacks of the plants, making him stumbled back away.

Draco was cautious not to hurt Harry and it seems like Harry was putting this to his advantage as he began to dash in his direction, again. Draco flicked his right hand to attack and cover up his way out, but Harry tore through it easily.

Just a few more paces and Harry's claws would be on his neck, so he tried to catch the wolf as fast as he could. Just a few more inches and Harry's claws would've sliced his jugular. Good thing he prepared his trap just in time and the tree roots were able to catch Harry.

Harry growled at his miss. The roots enveloped his body as it tightened just a bit to prevent him from moving any further. Draco sighed in relief as he was able to catch Harry with little wounds here and there.

He then slowly approached Harry who was now eye level with him as the roots held him. The wolf growled one that most people would deem dangerous, but Draco could only stare at Harry with soft eyes.

"Now, I know why you are so dangerous." He then softly pressed both of his hands to Harry's cheeks, his soft fur welcoming Draco's palms. The growling stopped as the werewolf addled with wolfsbane looked like he was thinking, which was odd in Draco's opinion.

It didn't last very long though because suddenly, Harry snapped his head to the side, trying to bite Draco's hand. He only managed to graze it, thankfully, but Draco's hand still bled through the cut. He disregarded it as he once again held Harry's head to face him.

The potion took away all control as it trapped the werewolf in their own memories where they were happiest. Slowly, they forgot that they were merely in a dream and their real bodies would be overtaken by pure instinct, turning them into a mindless monster.

Without fear, Draco pressed his forehead to the werewolf. He could feel Harry's struggle, but he remained calm. He closed his eyes, letting the warmth of his draining magic sooth the werewolf.

"Concateno Cor."

Draco's hand glowed softly as he connected his mind with Harry to awaken the sleeping werewolf.

……

Little Harry was now running around the house, being chased by his Father and his Godfather Sirius. He could see his Uncle Remus reading the newspaper on the couch, but still ruffled up his unruly hair as he passed by trying to avoid his Father and Godfather. He could hear the humming of his Mother at the kitchen as his laughter filled up the air.

The door opened and he saw Ron and the other Weasleys entering the pack's house to wish him a Harry Birthday. Everyone was present. Everything was so bright and he was so happy. But in the midst of it all, a voice began to call on his name as he looked back to see nothing other than the backyard.

It was his mother who called him next, standing by the door in her simple peach dress that looked so beautiful. Harry turned around, ready to run in her direction when he heard the voice once again.

"Harry." It was so soft and so different, but it felt so familiar at the same time. He looked around the backyard to see if he was just imagining things. He looked around the trees and at his favorite spot and suddenly, he found him—a stranger standing where his swing was.

"Hello, Harry," the stranger said.

Harry was cautious at first, but when the stranger smiled, it was as if all the tension that he was feeling all faded away as he grinned back.

"What are you doing here?" Harry voiced out as he tilted his head, his ruffled up hair falling slightly to one side. His huge green eyes watched the stranger with interest.

"Looking for you." The stranger then began to sit on his swing and that was then that Harry noticed his bleeding hand. Without him thinking, he rushed to the stranger's side and held his hand on his small ones.

"You're bleeding." The stranger just gave out a small chuckle as Harry then took out his handkerchief and wrapped it along with his bleeding hand. "Don't laugh," Harry scolded and the stranger stopped as he smiled, amused.

"Harry, you have to come back with me now." The stranger—Marius? Draco—then began to voice out and the child seemed to have stopped with wrapping his hand as he looked down and slowly inched away.

"Do I have to?" It seems that even in his child state within his mind, Harry knew of his fate. Draco gave him a sad smile as if not wanting for this small child in front of him to face the real world where he truly is. Something within Draco awakened. He wanted to protect Harry whose small shoulders held the fate of their world.

Draco then kneeled in front of Harry. He lifted the chin of the small child and made him look in his eyes. "You have to. This place—this is just a memory. If you stay, you won't ever get back. You won't see your real family, your friends, your pack mates…" then, Draco knew it was selfish and brave of him to say, "or me." He did anyway.

"I know," the child replied. His lips trembled as he then picked up Draco's hand and told him, "What if I fail, though? What if I don't fulfill my role? What if I lost them? I'm scared. What if I can't protect them all?"

Those were Harry's fears and Draco understood them very well. Without any warning, he hugged the small child. He held him in his arms and tucked his head in the crook of his neck.

"I am here," Draco assured softly as he clutched the child closer. "You are not alone, Harry. You have everyone—your family, your pack, and me. You have nothing to fear because I will be with you any way that I can." Harry clutched his neck tightly in response as if to make himself believe. "So now, Harry, it's time to wake up."

 "Will you be there?" Harry asked between sniffles.

Draco released him and gave a full-blown smile to the kid.

Everything slowly vanished into nothingness as Harry regained control of his body back. Draco was left alone with another promise he couldn't hope to keep.

……

Draco opened his eyes and his grey eyes met the closed eyes of Harry, still in his wolf form. He slowly flicked his hand to release the wolf from the bindings before concentrating on returning everything back to their places. The ground now returned to how it was before the fighting, no wild roots. He rested his back on the bark of a tree as he levitated Harry and the unconscious Orion by his side, the vampire head on his shoulder while the werewolf's rested on his lap.

When everything seemed peaceful enough, the repercussions of using his magic with the seal on it finally settled in. Warm blood trickled from his nose and he wiped it mindlessly using his sleeves.

Soon, a swoosh of flames was heard from somewhere on his right. Dumbledore appeared with Fawkes perched on his shoulder, his stance looked like he was ready to attack the first sign of danger. When he noticed the calm area, he marched to where Draco was sitting and sighed in relief seeing them all fine.

"I'm glad you are all safe."

Draco did not even look up at Dumbledore, but the Headmaster was startled when he suddenly spoke.  "Professor, I will do it." Draco's voice was full of conviction that Dumbledore had never heard of him before. "I am going to give him, Hogwarts, and Gryffindor Lands my protection."

The headmaster blinked. That sure wasn't what he expected. "What changed your mind, my boy?"

"I want to lessen his burden," said Draco.

That was then that Dumbledore realized that Draco must have seen something from Harry's memories to change his mind. His eyes sparkled with hope at this endeavor that Draco had proposed. He wanted to thank him but was stopped by the child's following words.

"But after that, I will be gone."

Dumbledore could not hide the fact that he was a bit put out by that, but he has no control over it. Draco was free to do as he wished. He was not bound to anything anymore since his mother died. He was no longer startled when the blond began to ask.

"Did you know?" Dumbledore watched as Draco patted the young Alpha's fur with such care that he had never seen Draco show on anyone and he knew exactly what he was referring to.

"That he was struggling and having fears upon fighting the Dark Lord?" His eyes glanced Harry who was asleep.

Draco shook his head.

"What is it?"

Draco then looked up at the Headmaster and his eyes were shining a bit. "Harry is capable of nullifying pure magic."

That took the headmaster by surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Draco began to explain what he observed. "When I bound him with pure magic, he was able to break from it without any injuries. I had to infuse my magic to the roots to hold him down, but I could feel that he was beginning to drain the magic from them as well the longer he stayed within the roots' clutch. Also when I used magic on him to bring him back. He did them all unconsciously." He ended his explanation when blood trickled down his nose again, this time it almost flowed down to his chin.

Dumbledore gave him his handkerchief before Draco used his sleeves again. "He sucked you dry."

Draco gave him a look of affirmation as he tilted his head back to stop the bleeding.

"Are you alright?" Dumbledore asked, worry flitting over his features.

"My body is still not accustomed to the huge amount of magic that runs through my veins. Using it with a seal still in place also didn't help," Draco answered simply when he felt his nosebleed finally stopped.

Dumbledore understood. "Your body has not matured yet."

Draco nodded before he continued on with their previous conversation. "Anyway, he tried to absorb everything. But my magic is sealed, so the only magic he took was what I released. He drained it all like a sponge and it dissipated in the air."

Dumbledore now caressed his beard as if in deep thought. His spectacles glinted in the night as the fog continued to cover up their location, shielding it from anyone else.

"I never knew Harry was capable of that. I suppose it is best to keep it under the wraps for now until we are sure of it."

Draco agreed easily.

When the human didn't say more, Dumbledore knew it was time for them to go back to the castle. "Perhaps you should rest, for now, my boy. I will deal with everything else."

"Can I, stay with them?" Draco asked, voice low. This left Dumbledore to wonder and Draco fidgeted under the Headmaster's eyes. "I need to feed Orion and I promised Harry I would be there when he wakes up."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Does he know who you…" Dumbledore did not think of continuing as Draco shook his head. Then his eyes regarded Orion and he asked, "Young Orion has been…"

Draco nodded his head.

"Very well. But for now, you need to sleep. I will take care of the rest."

Draco gave Dumbledore a grateful smile. With a deep released sigh, the fog dissipated and his magic sealed up once again, no trace of it left in their surroundings.

Exhaustion began to cave in his body and he gave in to it. The last he saw was the phoenix of Dumbledore soaring to land on the three of them and everything went black.

……

Luna walked through the halls, her whole body concealed in magic as she moved undetected inside the castle. She assured that even in Harry's poisoned form, she would not be detected. The bracelet in her wrist grew warm as she reached her destination.

She opened the Room of Requirement where it transformed into a sitting room she was all familiar with. It was the same room she was always in when Nymphadora allowed her to stay by her side. She was sure that if she conjured another place than the current one, her Master would not be pleased with her.

She walked toward the fireplace, cold as there was no hearth burning, and she then pulled out a bag from behind her robe pocket. She opened the bag and inside of it were what seemed to be floo powder, one that will directly connect her to her Master. She removed her bracelet and threw it just in front of the fireplace. 

"Dilato," she whispered with careful words as she took out her wand. The bracelet glowed dark and it expanded, creating a circle made by an elaborate twisting and knots of what seemed to have been vines.

Luna walked around it as she grabbed some of the powder from the pouch and tossed it toward the fireplace. The flames burned blood red and she clutched her wand as if like a torch she used it to gather fire from its tips. Seeing it was enough, she crouched down and ignited the circle vines and like following oil, it became a circle of fire.

Her eyes mirrored the flames as it burned. Luna watched as the ashes of the vines danced in the room. When she looked at the center of the circle a moment later; there, she stood.

Nymphadora, smiling wickedly, slowly edged her way to Luna but not stepping out of the circle. The witch looked at her master as the woman crouched down and brushed her cheek with her knuckles.

Luna stopped her body from shivering to the cold touch of the woman as she swallowed and let her face remain blank and emotionless. Nymphadora regarded her with eyes proud and truly happy that left Luna's blood to run cold. She knew her Master was planning something when she asked her to summon her in Hogwarts.

The spell that they used was something that Luna and she was working on for years to be able to infiltrate Hogwarts without anyone knowing. Deep down, Luna regretted having been able to accomplish it.

"My sweet Luna, you have done so well. I am so proud and so happy." Her smile was wide as she stood up and pulled on Luna's hands along with her to make them both standing.

"Thank you, Master."

Nymphadora then tucked a strand of Luna's hair to her ear. Luna could never understand why, even if she detested and did not wish to follow Nymphadora's commands, she always felt a tinge of something for the woman. Especially when she sometimes looked at her in an endearing way, as if Nymphadora loved her.

"You truly are mine now. Our souls are connected so tightly that you are now capable of summoning my soul to your side."

Luna wanted to shiver at the thought, her mind reeling to reject that idea but showing it to her would only make it worse, so she buried it all underneath the deepest depths of her mind. 

But a small part of her was relieved at hearing that, happy that the two of them were connected. It was something she had never understood in a long while. She knew it has something to do with what she saw that day, the day she was captured by Nymphadora and her Father taken away from her. No matter how hard she tried to remember, she could never recall what truly happened that day.

She was caught up in her thoughts but was startled when Nymphadora suddenly spoke to her, her words shocking.

"Now, let's see if I could borrow your body."

Luna's eyes widened and before she could ask or protest, her voice was restricted. She fully knows what possession meant.

"Shhh… Don't worry, my sweet. You have nothing to fear. When I take over, the body is still yours but only mine to control for a while. It is a transmutated version of the possession that you are thinking about. Until the time that you return to the Manor will I leave your body."

Luna, within the depths of her mind, was afraid because no matter what she did and chose, her connection with Nymphadora ran deeper than what she had always thought.

Her eyes were now glazed and body empty. She easily fell into Nymphadora's arms when she was pulled within the circle. She could not understand why, but she somehow felt the arms holding her were a bit familiar, which was something she should have feared.

A smile graced Nymphadora's lips as she watched Luna fell asleep. She caressed the top of her head and kissed it softly. A dark shadow now began to envelop both of them and seemed to seep into Luna's body. Nymphadora looked down at Luna her eyes soft and endearing, but full of sadness in its wake. She spoke so softly and so fondly as if she had finally gained a heart.

"I know you would never reject me. You never could even if you wanted to. I wished you would one day open your eyes and remember me, but now is not the time for you to wake. When the time comes, please don't hate me—Cedric."

The black cloud then fully enveloped them and Nymphadora's corporeal form disappeared as she entered the body of Luna.

…..

Light blue eyes snapped open and Luna found herself lying on the floor the circle still present around her. She sat up slowly allowing, her body to feel accustomed to what her Master did. She lifted up her hand to feel her head, only to find the bracelet she removed to once again reappeared on her wrist.

She remembered everything before she lost consciousness and she clutched her clothes at what had been done. Nymphadora had successfully infiltrated Hogwarts using her body. She knew that everything would now begin to change.

Closing her eyes, she felt as if she heard her name being called. She could feel her body being possessed by another as she felt herself falling once again and she knew at that moment, Nymphadora has taken over control.

Luna's eyes flashed darkly before she stood up, flicking her hand to erase the evidence of the spell that was cast along with some dust on her clothes. She tested the body by closing and opening her palm and a wicked grin appeared on her features.

She was successful in taking over Luna's body. She walked with an air of grace that her Mother instilled in her when she was young as she opened the door. Outside, she easily casted a Disillusionment charm upon her person as she began to walk the silent halls of Hogwarts. Sensing her surroundings were empty, she kneeled down and began to cast a magic to detect the whole structure of the castle.

"Patesco."

She felt her magic weaved all throughout the building as she closed her eyes to have a better feel of it. She searched for her target. She was not worried about being caught as the school reeked with magic from all the witches, her spell casting would go unnoticed.

Her eyes opened as she seemed to have found what she was looking for, an ear-splitting grin appeared on her features. She then stood up with the grace of a cat.

"Seems like they were able to tame the young Potter," she whispered to herself wickedly. "I will let you take control of your body for a bit, my Luna." She then yielded control and Luna awakened with a gasp while she was standing. She felt the violation of having no control of her body but knowing what is happening. She tried to evict Nymphadora from within her body but there was something else entirely preventing her from doing so. She clutched her head trying to remember a name that Nymphadora called her once before.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she only voiced out one thing.

"Cedric."

She remembered the way Nymphadora looked at her when she said that name. Her voice was soft, so full of warmth that Luna once thought that she had a heart. Then her voice was replaced with such coldness and cruelty that Luna was used to as she glared at her.

It was a good thing that even if Nymphadora was inside of her at the moment, she couldn't view her memories. Thus assuring that Marius would still remain to be safe. The best that she could do right now was to steer away from Marius to prevent Nymphadora's curiosity from knowing who he was. With that plan in mind, she headed off to Ravenclaw Tower, hoping to find more about Cedric and her connection to Nymphadora. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what ya guys think? XD thanks!


	24. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey you guys! early update for now since i might go MIA again due to a family event, enrollment and start of class again. i hope you guys will like this next chapter.
> 
> i wanna thank my beta, Authlene for everything, i am always grateful to have you as i am sure this ff would have gone south long time ago without your guidance hehe!XD
> 
> once again to all of you who have read this, left me comments that made my day, left kudos (still cant believe how it reached 500+), to those who subscribed and bookmarked. thank you and big hugs to you all!! i wish you all happiness and love this year!XD
> 
> here goes the next chapter! 
> 
> enjo~y!

A crack in the silence broke the stillness of the dark and seemingly unoccupied forest. Its frosty winds whipped at the branches of the trees, slowly inching away every single life within the forest. A warm cloud was released from a woman’s lips wearing a thick black cloak, its hood hiding her features.

Bellatrix stood in the middle of the dying forest, her breath puffing out of her lips clearly seen in the cold. A strong gust of wind blew and when the wind stopped, she already knew she was not alone. The frosts on the ground and on every surface began to spread, inching their way closer and closer to her, yet this never affected her as she merely waved out her hand and a circle of fire appeared around her.

The darkness showed themselves. The Dementors seemed to fade away, closing in around her but the flame kept them at bay. She watched as the creatures tried to suck out whatever happiness they thought they could take away from her, only to find nothing but the sweetness of the darkness seeping from her magic and her very blood itself.

They spun around her curious, waiting. She just stared back at them as she waited for the one she was waiting for to appear. Soon the crowd of Dementors fell away on both sides, paving a way for a huge mass of dark cloak, skeleton hands, and pure coldness that tried to seep into her very bones.

Most people would’ve shaken in fear, their happiness was eaten away till nothing was ever left. But she was different than any other one of them. She knew she had always been special and so, with a wicked smile on her lips, she tilted her head up to face the faceless monster, the leader of the Dementors.

“Our master’s awakening is near. Now, shall we proceed with uprooting unnecessary weeds in our Master’s garden?” she smiled as the Dementors seemed to fly circling around her in a joyous dance. She knew that these creatures would not betray her Master as they are after all like their Master, children born in the dark.

……

“Harry.” Someone was calling his name but he could not make out the voice. He knew he was still asleep, but the voice urged him to awaken. His eyes were heavy but he tried his hardest to open his eyes.

Soon eyelids were fluttering open and Harry closed them once again in reflex to block out the brightness of the morning. He lifted his hand to cover up his eyes and allowed it to adjust. He blinked a couple of times and then when he looked around him, he knew he was at one place he was quite familiar with.

He was in the Hospital Wing. The curtains were drawn to his bed and he could not hear anything as he figured a silencing spell was put up. But as he paid attention to the inside of his curtains, he could hear some one’s soft breathing. He lifted his head for a bit, only to see platinum hair just near his hip. Marius was sleeping soundly, his head resting on his side of the bed and his face facing his direction.

His eyes went wide just slightly and a small smile began to tug on his lips. He watched as the blonde slept fitfully as if not even noticing if he was awake or not. He wondered just how soft Marius’ hair was, he felt tempted to touch it. Seemingly in a battle of wills, Harry then began to pet the head of Marius. Now finding out that it truly was as soft as he had imagined.

Harry continued on to caress Marius’ soft locks, not noticing that the blonde was about to wake. Grey clouded eyes looked up into his clear emerald eyes and Harry had never seen such a vulnerable side from the human ever since they met. His guard was so down that Harry found it endearing that he trusted Harry this much to allow him to see a side of himself no one had perhaps ever seen. At least, that was what Harry wanted to think.

A soft smile graced his lips as the blond began to yawn a bit like a cat and starts to move his limbs, Harry’s hand still on his head. But a thought crossed Harry’s mind, remembering the reason why he and Marius could never be how he wanted it to be. So he slowly, as not to alarm the blonde or startle him, inched his hand away as if to give way from stopping the blonde from stretching and fully waking up. He placed his hand on his lap, his other hand clutching it tightly as if to prevent it from going back to touch that head.

A memory then crossed Harry’s mind as he clutched his head with one hand. Marius noticed that and was quick to place his hand on Harry’s shoulder which made Harry flinch. He pulled away quickly, expression hurt. Harry was not able to apologize as his headache was then starting to show him his memories of what happened last night.

“I-what-happened?” he looked up at Marius and the blonde looked clearly worried, but he answered as he sat back down in his chair.

“You were poisoned with Wolfsbane.”

The werewolf’s eyes widened. He looked around him to see if there were anyone injured in the incident.

“No one was hurt, well except for Orion.”

Harry flinched at that. No matter how much he didn’t like the vampire, he wouldn’t wish to hurt him like that. He stared into Marius’ eyes, apologizing.

The human just shook his head. “Orion is fine, just a few scratches here and there but he will live.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal but Harry knew this was just to assure him.

He was about to drown in his own thoughts when a slightly cold hand began to clutch his hand. His eyes snapped up, only to see Marius’ blue-grey eyes and Harry seemed to calm down just a bit. The knowledge that he was not alone in this was a small comfort that Marius gave him. It calmed him just a bit as he caught his breathing.

“Dumbledore was able to evacuate everyone before you went ballistic. He and Orion was the one who stopped you and brought you here when you were knocked out. Professor Snape pumped you with the antidote all night till you naturally morphed back.”

Marius, deep down, knew that lying would someday bite back on him. The way he was able to construct these things from the get-go was even impressive for him to believe. He even talked about this with Dumbledore and Orion a while ago.

The only truth in his words was that Harry was really pumped with the antidote in his system, but he was sure as hell the poison was already neutralized when he spelled Harry. But he was not going to tell him any of that.

“What about you?” Harry looked at Marius and Marius knew that nothing really can go past Harry when he asked. He gave Harry a small smile before answering.

“I was with Orion when you suddenly rounded on us near the Whomping Willow.”

Marius was then suddenly tugged toward the bed. His face, hands, arms, and body subjected to the inspection of one Harry Potter.

“I attacked you!? God—are you hurt? Did I bite you? Were you injured?” Harry went on and on as he inspected Marius. It was a bit embarrassing on Marius mind since he looked like he was a kid being coddled but he could not help the fondness in his eyes as he watched Harry.

But seriously, it had to stop.

Holding onto Harry’s hand with a strength he did not know he had, Marius looked straight at Harry’s green eyes before voicing out, “Harry. I’m fine, really. Dumbledore and Orion protected me.”

Harry released a huge sigh of relief. Before Marius knew it, he was engulfed in warmth. Harry was nuzzling his hair as his palm ruffled it up.

“I’m glad.” Harry’s voice was so soft that Marius almost did not hear it, but he just whispered at Harry’s bare shoulder, “I’m fine. I’m safe”

Harry released him only for his hand to linger on Marius’ cheek. But then Harry’s eyes widened, he suddenly removed his hand as if burnt. He looked down from Marius’ eyes as if he was ashamed and this left Marius confused.

“What’s wrong?” Marius spoke.

Harry took a few beats before he responded, keeping his hand to himself, inching away from Marius who was now sitting on the side of the bed. Then Harry looked at him, their eyes meeting. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

This was then that Marius understood what Harry meant. After seeing him in such a crazed state and him attacking Orion and Dumbledore, someone who was not used to such things would surely fear him now.

“Why would I be?”

Harry looked unconvinced at this as he ruffled up his hair and Marius recognized this as frustration. “Marius, I attacked you. I was not myself, but still, I attacked you, Orion, and even Dumbledore. Don’t you find that—“ Harry grunted and Marius just gave him a small smile before he answered.

“That wasn’t you, Harry, because the Harry that I know has a big heart, very kind and would never even hurt a single fly.” Harry snorted at that, but a voice that called his name rang in his head. It was so seemingly similar to Marius’s voice, but Harry shook his head knowing it was impossible.

He remembered bits and pieces when he was asleep due to the wolfsbane. There was someone that pulled him out, someone who called out to him. He could not help but hope that it was Marius. But as he looked at the human whose soft smile gave him all the warmth in the world, Harry knew that he really could no longer do this to Marius any longer.

“Did anyone tell you?” Harry said, looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes just a bit. He could feel the eyes of Marius watching his every move. He could feel the slight confusion in Marius' voice as he replied.

“Tell me what?”

“That anyone would be very lucky to have you.”

Marius eyes widened slightly at this and without him even noticing nor thinking, he suddenly blurted out, “Why not you?”

Marius bit his lip when he fully heard himself, heard the word that he uttered. His brain was in the middle of a war now with the pounding of his heart. Especially when Harry looked at him with a shocked expression. He knew there was no holding back at what he just voiced out, so he watched Harry with serious eyes. But then those green eyes closed and when they opened, Marius knew—he lost.

“Marius—I have a mate.”

That was all that Marius needed to hear. He could feel something within him shatter to pieces, but he held on to his expression as he cooled his features. Then, before Harry could even talk, as if on cue, Orion opened the curtain and drawled.

“Potter’s awake,” he voiced loud enough that soon the room was crowded with his friends along with Madam Pomphrey who was trying her best to shoo them away.

Harry did not notice when Marius suddenly faded away from his side and disappeared altogether. But he felt the need to apologize, to explain. Though it seemed he would have to find another time for it to happen.

…….

While Harry was being surrounded by his fellow Gryffindor allies, Marius eased away from his previous place as quickly as he could. No one seemed to have noticed him other than Orion who decided to follow him. The two walked in silence as Orion had heard a gist of what the two were talking about.

He understood that this would be a huge blow to Marius so he allowed for the silence to overtake their walk. Upon reaching the Headmaster’s office, Marius looked back at Orion and smiled a weak one before asking, “Come with me?”

Marius did not have to ask. Orion would go wherever he would want him to go if that was what his cousin would want. They both went up the stairs and knocked on the Headmaster’s office.

The door opened up for them like usual. The Headmaster was there sitting in his chair, sifting through what seemed to be letters. As soon as he saw the two, he folded them and placed them in his right side drawer. His eyes sparkled and gestured for the two to sit, but Marius did not take a seat. Rather, he shook his head.

“Is there something the matter?” Dumbledore began to ask.

Orion just looked at Marius’ direction, only to be shocked by what he heard.

“As soon as the potion is done, I will leave Hogwarts along with the Wizarding World.”

Orion was left gaping but still could not stop himself from blurting out loudly. “What?! If this is about—” Marius gave him a look that told him he would explain himself, so he shut up.

“I cannot be found, no matter what. I am a Nullum. This means that even if I never wanted to participate in this war, Bellatrix would still have a shot at making me side with her by turning me Dark.” Orion was surprised, again. He closed his eyes as he tried to remember and understand what Marius was saying. He remembered reading about Nullums and that was then that his eyes opened and widened. He was sure that his Mother would stop at nothing to have the capability of controlling someone like his cousin. If his Mother were to be successful at turning Draco dark, then they would have a special bond, one that would make Draco compelled to do whatever it was that his Mother wanted.

“I understand, Draco.”

Orion’s head snapped to the Headmaster’s. This was the only time he had realized that the Headmaster knew of Marius’ real identity. Then he looked at the two people who were having a silent conversation.

“Wait, how did you know?” Orion asked the Headmaster, only to have him smile at him and point at Fawkes who was near his desk, perched up watching them all. Orion just sighed and slumped at one of the chairs, his head rested on his hands as they were clasped together on his knees. “You could’ve at least warned me about this, Draco.”

Orion called his name and Draco could not help but feel a bit apologetic to his cousin. He kneeled down in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes.

“I know that even if I am gone, you would be able to handle yourself.” Orion looked about to protest, but Draco gave him a small smile and continued. “You are not alone any longer, Orion. And if you ever grew weary of the war, you could always come to me.”

Orion’s eyes widened at this. He sat up to hold on to the shoulders of Draco. It was slightly too hard, but Draco found it endearing instead.

“You swear?”

Draco nodded his head. He began to whisper an incantation and the bracelet that he always wore glowed slightly as Draco’s magic weaved its way to it.

“This will always bring you to me, wherever I am.”

Orion hugged his cousin and nodded his head.

As soon as he was released, Draco then stood up again. He faced Dumbledore with serious eyes as he began to voice out, “I will strengthen the ward of Hogwarts. Not with my blood, neither is yours, but with Professor McGonagall.” Dumbledore nodded in understanding. He could trust Minerva with anything along with the lives of his students as she would always protect and fight for what is right.

“A wise choice.” Dumbledore agreed since no one would ever be able to think that she would be the center of the barrier. “I will inform her soon then, but I would not tell her of your existence.”

“I will make the preparations needed. Meet me in the Great Hall seven days from now.”

Dumbledore nodded his head.

Draco could not help by the way that Dumbledore’s eyes lingered on Orion and the vampire seemed to have noticed this too, so he only drawled. “No one has been capable of reading my mind even with torture ever since I was ten.”

Dumbledore had a flash of what seemed to be sadness in his eyes when he looked at Orion who just waved it off.

“Orion will not betray you. His mark is still incomplete,” Draco voiced out and the Headmaster nodded his head.

“I know he will remain loyal to anyone but you, Draco. But won’t the Dark Lord suspect?” Draco shook his head and Orion explained.

“Mother wanted my first kill to be you, but they would not care what method I have to use to do it. Besides, with my incomplete mark, they could ask me to go to places where there are barriers that prevent those who bear the mark from entering.”

Dumbledore was impressed. It seemed like the two had already planned this all so carefully as to assure if ever some things might not go according to their plan. He felt proud and yet sad, as they were just but mere children but their innocence, their happiness, were robbed from them at a very young age.

“Headmaster, there is one more thing.”

Dumbledore was cut away from his musings as he then stared up at Draco’s eyes and gestured for him to continue.

“Could you bring me to Gryffindor Lands?” Dumbledore's eyes widened and Orion was worried.

“If I bring you there and Bellatrix will feel the barrier coming alive once again, she will hunt you down,” Dumbledore replied, worried that Draco might be turning reckless. But his following words puzzled Dumbledore so.

“Then can you bring something for me there?”

Dumbledore couldn’t do anything except nodding his head.

Draco held up his palm. Orion and Dumbledore watched as a sudden ball of light appeared on Draco’s hand, only for it to be reformed. Soon the light dissipated and all that was left in Draco’s hand was a dagger.

“This was my Mother’s blood dagger. It absorbs blood along with magic and when it will be imbued in the center of the Blood Ward in Gryffindor Lands, the wards will awaken and strengthen like it was when she was alive.” Draco held onto the dagger as if it was his lifeline. But he removed the blade from its scaffold and with his left hand, he held the blade to make his blood be spilled.

Orion looked away from the blood that was dripping on the dagger as he could smell slightly the smell of Draco’s blood. Despite being able to control his hunger, he still could not control it now with the mark making anyone’s blood so appealing to him.

Soon the dagger soaked up Draco’s blood until its once silver blade became red in color. Draco held it up in the light. Seeing that it was enough, he returned it back to its scaffold. Dumbledore stood up and walked towards Draco who held the dagger so dearly as if he never wanted to part with it and so the Headmaster asked.

“You don’t have to give it up. There has to be another way.” But Draco shook his head and handed the dagger to Dumbledore.

“There is none. I hate to part with it, but I am sure my Mother would’ve wanted it to protect others than to stay with me as a mere reminder of her.” Dumbledore wanted to protest at that, but Draco did not allow him to say anything any longer as he continued to speak. “The Barrier will never fall for as long as I live unless there would be someone who would be more powerful than me to break it.” Draco sounded as if he was joking, but Dumbledore knew that Draco had no par when it comes to his magic.

Dumbledore watched as he could see Draco seemingly regarding his magic as a curse rather than a gift, as he was sure he would rather have his mother alive than to have such powerful magic in his veins.

……

Orion was worried about leaving his cousin alone as he left the Headmaster’s office, but he cannot disobey the order of the Headmaster. Since it was found out by the Headmaster that he had been feeding on Draco, the Headmaster made it his priority to provide Orion with his own food source.

He was thankful that he no longer had to feed on his cousin, but he really was worried about Draco. He could see and feel that he was rattled by their conversation with Potter. He just has to feed real quick so that he would find his cousin and talk to him. Or maybe he could hunt down Potter down.

……

As soon as Draco got out of the Headmaster’s room, he clutched his head as a headache was beginning to form. His mind flashed back to his earlier conversation with Harry and something inside of him broke once again.

Blood dripped from his nose to the floor as he began walking. It was still early and the class was ongoing, but he no longer planned to attend any of it. His balance was failing him as his body waved around and he could not hold himself up. He wiped the blood from his nose and once again, his clean shirt sleeves were stained with blood.

He knew using a large amount of magic with restriction on it and not fully reaching his age would cause a huge toll on his body. But it was all worth it for him.

He rounded up on an empty alcove as he felt like he was going to get sick. He clutched his stomach to stop his body from hurling, but all too soon he began to vomit. His throat hurt and he was heaving, but when he saw that he did not vomit his breakfast rather he vomited what seemed to be like black goo, his blood ran cold. His mind frozen.

He clutched his body closer to himself as a shiver ran down his spine. He shook his head thinking it was impossible. He was showing signs of imbalance and he thought deeply at what caused this. All that ran through his mind was the one word that stuck to his mind from the whole sentence that Harry voiced out.

“Mate.”

As soon as Draco recalled this, a surge of something dark and disgusting filled Draco’s entire body. He stared at his hands to realize what feeling was it and he pegged this feeling as jealousy. It was the same feeling that he had felt before when he was younger, but this was much more intensified than before.

He had never felt such animosity for the word as he had ever for now. He had the feeling of wanting to know who this mate was and he began to think about thoughts, dark thoughts that made his eyes wet.

“No.” He croaked out as he could feel an inner turmoil beginning within his body. A part of him wanted to hunt this mate person down and another was making him think of sacrificing Orion to discover out what the Dark Lord’s true nature was for the greater good.

He could feel his rationality being tested at every turn. He had never felt this horrible as he did years ago. It made him remember about the boy who made him question his sexuality and the jealousy that he had felt when he found out that he loved another.

He was the first person Draco ever loved other than his mother, one of the only people in the world that he could trust with his whole life. The pain he had felt before when he found out that he was killed was as if returning to him tenfold. At least at that moment, he had his mother with him to anchor him to balance but now he would have to deal with this alone.

He tried standing up to head to Hufflepuff Dorm, all to find out that his body was too weak to be able to walk. He could feel his body releasing a dark aura that was trying to take over his entire being, mind, and soul.

He felt like leaving. He never expected the words of Harry would break him this way. He never expected he would have fallen this way. In his clouded gaze, he saw a woman who seemed to have the same visage as his mother saw him. In his daze, he sought out his hand to reach her but before he could his consciousness fell away as he felt someone caught him before his head hit the ground.

…

“Who would’ve thought that after looking for you all this time, you would wound up straight to my arms.” A wicked smile graced Nymphadora within Luna’s body as she cradled the fallen blond in her arms.

She tucked away the stray locks of the blond in his ears as she smiled down at him. Seeing the dark aura appearing and disappearing from his whole body, she fully knew what was currently happening within the mind of the boy.

“It seems you are struggling to keep the balance in your magic. Don’t worry, I will assure you that you will find clarity in the darkness.” She took out the wand of Luna and began to chant as she cast a veiling shield, cutting the two of them away from the real world to not be seen.

When she was sure that the spell was cast, she left the wand to her side and placed one of her hands to Draco’s chest as she began to chant again in long mutters of Latin. Soon, a darker shadow began to seep in within Draco’s body and he began to slightly convulse as his body trashed, his arms seemed to hug himself as he curled up into a ball. Nymphadora smiled.

She hugged Draco tightly in her arms as he slowly began to sing a lullaby to soothe him. He slowly began to stop trashing and he seemed to be sleeping fitfully in her embrace.

“Mother would be pleased along with the Dark Lord. Finally, we found you, dear beloved Draco.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think?XD thank you all again!


	25. The Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Been a long time I know, been busy with a lot of stuff and its sucking the life outta me haha, anyway none of that! I bring you guys this chapter along with my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have continued on reading this story of mine!
> 
> Huge thanks, hugs and love to my beta Authlene for editing this chap in a short amount of time
> 
> Once again thank you sooo much to all who left comments, kudos, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a read!XD  
> Without further ado I give you this chap! (all remaining mistakes are mine)

Green flames from the fireplace bloomed to life as Albus Dumbledore stepped out of it in the Packhouse of Gryffindor. Molly Weasley was the first to greet him and ushered him further inside.

"Albus, it has been quite some time." Molly closed the distance between them and hugged the old man like she would a very good friend.

"Molly, good afternoon to you." Albus returned the hug and gave a small smile to the woman. "Where are they?"

Molly then gestured for Albus to follow her as they both walked towards the office of James Potter. She knocked on the door and soon they both heard a voice telling them to enter. The door opened to reveal Lily sitting at one of the couches near the bookshelves, her hands folded on top of a book. Sirius seated next to her while Beta Remus stood near the large mahogany table where James' hands were clasped.

Smiles bloomed from every person in the room when they all saw Dumbledore. Lily stood primly as she greeted Albus, followed by James who then gestured for the Headmaster to sit. Molly left the room saying that she would bring up some tea for all of them.

"What brought your sudden visit here?" James asked.

Dumbledore decided not to speak but instead, he took what seemed to have been a purple cloth. Everyone in the room waited with baited breath at what it was. As soon as Dumbledore revealed what was wrapped, an audible gasp was heard from Lily when she saw the achingly familiar dagger of Narcissa.

"Is that—" James began and Dumbledore could only nod.

James stood up from his seat along with Sirius and Remus to look at the dagger closer. Seeing as it was authentic, with trembling hands, Lily touched its scabbard and a single tear escaped her eyes.

"Where?" Sirius was the one who asked as he closed his eyes, his hands clenching. He was still feeling bitter for the way that he had no idea how his cousin died.

Then Dumbledore spoke the words that broke the sadness that enveloped the room in one swoop. "Draco."

All of them stood frozen. They stared wide-eyed at Dumbledore who just looked at them as if pleading to keep what he just said a secret to themselves.

"But how is that possible?" James began to reason.

Remus who remained silent throughout all replied. "He went to Hogwarts, did he not?"

Dumbledore could only nod as he offered the dagger to Sirius who was the closest to Narcissa. Sirius, with trembling hands, gingerly took the dagger that his cousin usually held. He touched the scabbard of the sword and to their astonishment, a hologram of some sort appeared. The hologram showed no face, as a hood carefully obscured it. All of them waited with baited breath to find out what was going to happen but all they heard was a smooth voice.

"If you could all see this, it means that I am dead and my son has yielded this dagger to my cousin Sirius Black." They all turned to Dumbledore for this sudden turn of events, but Dumbledore shook his head. He was shocked as well.

The hologram then removed the hood obscuring the face of Narcissa Black.

"It this dagger had fallen to any of my sisters, it would have burned their hands."

Sirius sighed at this, glad that he was never on the bad side of his cousin. He looked at the occupants of the room to see that they were all paying attention to what this message still had to say.

"This means that I am in the presence of my old friends." A small smile was shown on the lips of the hologram, her eyes kinder for a while before she continued. "Forgive me for suddenly disappearing, but I had to." Her hand unconsciously went to hold her stomach and a fond smile appeared on her lips as if remembering something.

"I guess I owe you all an explanation. At the start of the war, I prepared myself to choose a side to stop that monster. However, at that time Bellatrix and the Dark Lord was intent on finding me and calling me to their side. I glamoured myself into a muggle. Everything was chaotic, but it was also the time I met him, my mate."

Her face looked happy as she closed her eyes as if reminiscing those days. Once she opened them, they were now full of nothing but sadness.

"Our happiness was short lived. Bellatrix kept on tracking me and I have stayed at the same place for a long while. I had no choice but to leave. It was safer for him if I stayed away and if Bella never found out about him. I cast a magic to veil the identity of who my mate is. I left telling him nothing of who I really am and in hope that when the war ends, I would return to him. When I left, I headed to Romania to hide for a while. That was then that I found out about my child. My Draco."

Lily looked at her husband in understanding. They all know what kind of sacrifice she made in order to aid them to end the war. She could not help the tears that fell from her eyes as she heard her story.

They all listened but what shocked all of them was when she told them about the things she found out about the Dark Lord. Their eyes widened at what they learned and Dumbledore just closed his eyes because what he had learned from Hermione was true. They could not believe that the Dark Lord had such a secret they never knew about.

"The Dark Lord was born out of his mother's hate. He is an abomination that nature herself rejects. But these objects—those trapped souls are what allows him to stay rooted in this world."

James could not help but feel powerless in the face of the Dark Lord. He feared for his son. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands tighter, wanting to take upon himself the duty of ending the Dark Lord and not his son.

Lily began to hug herself at what she heard. She couldn't believe that someone would be capable of performing that kind of magic, that kind of barbaric deed at this age. James instantly felt his mate's emotions as he stood up and hugged her. He tried his hardest to soothe her until she calmed down for a while.

"I already left the key to destroying the Dark Lord's objects in my Grimoire—" her eyes, as if she was right there, sought Sirius. A faint smile akin to hope flashed in those orbs as she continued, "the Clock of Fate."

Sirius' body froze, but his mind was alert and the gears could not stop trying to comprehend what she meant.

"I leave this world in hope that the prophesized child could end this war. Alone he will fail, but I hope that with this they could fix that we cannot rectify."

"Impossible." Lily's voice breathed out. All eyes in the room fell to her as she eased away from the arms of her husband and slowly approached the hologram of Narcissa that stood as if waiting. But before she could explain, the hologram slowly dissipated and her last words were heard.

"Once this dagger is embedded into the center of the ward, it will strengthen the ward as it was before when I was alive." Lily's head then suddenly snapped to the direction of her husband and she saw her doing the same. The two of them turned their heads to meet the eyes of Dumbledore.

Underlying the words that Narcissa spoke out loud, it seemed that a secret message only meant for the three of them to hear was embedded. ‘My friends, once the dagger is embedded in the center of the ward, the true prophecy that I have hidden shall reveal itself to you three. Someday you will understand its true meaning just as I have.'

Dumbledore's eyes widened. This was the first time he had heard of something like that. He had questions as to how or why or what Narcissa meant by the true prophecy but if there was anyone who could change the prophecy's words, it was her. So he masked his expression and turned to Lily and James who had done the same.

_‘The prophecy must not be known to anyone and I trust you three to only reveal it to those you trust with your very life. The Dark Lord's forces draw near and I fear for all of you. I hope that the darkness I have seen shall not come to pass.'_

Narcissa's eyes met every single one of them and with strong conviction within them, she gave them a rueful and sad smile. "Till we meet again, my friends."

The hologram disappeared. Sirius clutched it to him, his fists clenched to it. "What about my nephew? Where is he?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "He disappeared as soon as he left that dagger to me, saying that he will have nothing to do with this war."

James nodded, not wanting to add Narcissa's child in this war of theirs. The woman had already done so much for them.

"Lily, what do you know of what Narcissa was talking about the Dark Lord?" Albus then began to ask.

Lily swallowed before she hugged herself as she voiced out that cruel unforgivable name of the ritual. "Horcruxes."

Dumbledore could not help himself from feeling faint. Remus had to hold the old vampire and allow him to sit at one of the chairs as he sagged. Sirius looked at Lily as if she knows something that could help piece together what Narcissa had said to him.

"How could I not have foreseen this?" the vampire looked as if he had failed all of them and he closed his eyes as if the word pained him so.

Dumbledore had once read about that horrific ritual when he was young, so young that his great-grandfather had to punish him from ever reading or speaking about it. Not that he could ever talk about it as it brought nightmares to him every night since he read it. After that day, he never saw that book ever again. It was burnt in fiendfyre as if it needed to be cleansed by burning it to nothing but dust.

"What is a Horcrux, Lily?" Remus asked.

"A Horcrux is an object in which a witch could draw more power from the soul that they had trapped in."

Molly gasped at this and the other's eyes widened at such a fact. "There was such a thing?"

Lily nodded. "These objects could only be created by committing the supreme act of evil and that is murder." She looked pained as she voiced these things out.

"Good Heaven's," Molly gasped out.

"How did you know of this, Lily?" Albus began to ask.

Lily swallowed. "That ritual was written in a storybook that was passed down through our family for generations that my late sister Petunia inherited. I remembered her saying that it was a family heirloom written by our ancestor who likes to scare people or just practically insane." She remembered her sister saying those words to her before she was killed years later and her home burnt to ash. "Did you know about this as well, Albus?"

The old vampire could only nod as he began to speak. "The Horcrux I know of is an object that has hidden a fragment of the creator's soul for the purpose of attaining immortality."

"What?" Lily voiced out softy, confusion in her voice as she did not know that such a ritual had another effect or use. Then she began to counteract, as that was just a scary bedtime story. "But this was just a myth, a story made up, by old ancestors to warn us of the horrors if we ever try to dabble with achieving something impossible and unreachable unless—" at that moment, Lily could not help but feel nothing but despair, _‘what if that story was real?'_

She looked up at Albus, her eyes pleading for something, trying to convince herself that it was just a made up story by old crazy cronies in her family. However, the old vampire could only close his eyes and Lily now knew that the story she had read was real.

"Why would a storybook contain such a thing?" Remus could not help but ask. No one answered the question.

"The Four Forbidden Grimoires."

All eyes snapped to Sirius who leaned back against the wall as he massaged his temples to ease a headache growing there.

"What?" James voiced out for all of them in the room.

Sirius just released a huge sigh as he then began to explain. "Those four grimoires show and depict our history itself, the beginning of everything and the end of it. No one knows how these grimoires came to be but they held such special power that no one has the capability of destroying them." He looked at the occupants of the room who looked clearly like they had never known of such a thing. "They were once owned by our oldest ancestors the Four Founders of Hogwarts. It is said that wars, murder, deceit, and death surrounded the books as they all each had a power that could tip the balance of our world."

James began to ask, curious. "Owned? You mean the other races could use these objects not just witches?"

Sirius nodded and a collective gasp was heard in the room.

"But those grimoires were lost, hidden by our ancestors never to be found. It is said to bring nothing but death and destruction in its wake but also happiness and peace in the right hands. It seems like they have been awakened." Sirius remained silent as the others took in the information given to them.

"But how is it that such powerful objects were not known in our history and only yours know of it?" Remus said.

"I think it was because Rowena Ravenclaw thought it would be wise for us to learn from past mistakes and not to redo them in our time. And because the Black Family was instructed to assure that none of these Grimoires to ever be awakened or used, and look where that brought us." Sirius scoffed as if mocking but there was sadness in his eyes.

"Sirius are you saying—" Lily swallowed, as she could not voice out the horror that the others were aware of but afraid of asking.

"It is possible that Bella has one as she knows about this myth as well since the Black Family never once told a story that was never real." Sirius ruffled his hair at the horror that Bella held one of the most powerful objects known to them.

"How would be able to go against such a thing?" Molly voiced out, feeling hopelessness seep through her body as she clutched her trembling fingers together.

"No!" Sirius' voice rang in the silence of the room and all of its occupants looked up at him, slightly shocked by his sudden outburst. "We cannot lose hope now, not when Narcissa left us something powerful that will allow us to fight back!"

"Her Grimoire?" James voiced out and Sirius nodded his head. Lily looked up at him in hope that what he said is true.

"She said that she left the key to destroying the Horcruxes in her Grimoire, but we don't even know where her Grimoire is."

That was then that Dumbledore stood up and all eyes went to him. "Her Grimoire was just recently inherited by Miss Hermione Granger."

"What!?" All the other occupants suddenly voiced out at once and James sat on his chair as if about to laugh at the sudden hope that filled them all.

"How?" Remus asked.

Albus went on and told them about what the children had planned for him and for Hogwarts, about Orion, about the Dark Lord, about Narcissa. When he finished, the room was fully silent. The shock was an understatement from the faces of the adults in the room. He tried his best to never once mention about Draco's or Marius' involvement on the matter.

James tilted his head up. He could not believe that the children have planned this far and they even got the offering of Lestrange's son to be a spy for their side. They were all having mixed feelings about the matter. They were the adults in this case and yet their children were also doing their best to prepare for the upcoming war.

"You agreed to this? Their plan?" James then asked the old vampire, looking straight into his eyes.

"I have already entrusted my life to the future." Albus smiled at them.

"I could understand if Hermione was able to plan this all out but how—how was any of them able to get the Lestrange boy to side with them?" and that was the question that Albus was dreading about. But he only has one answer to it all as he was sure that his allies would question him without a doubt from keeping such a crucial information.

"Draco." Once again the room was stunned into silence. Albus had to elaborate. "Orion Lestrange's loyalty lies to him and him alone, but it was his own decision to be a spy for our side all in order to assure that his cousin is safe from this war."

"He—he's at Hogwarts, right now?" Sirius asked his voice shaking and Albus could do nothing but nod his head. "Could I—" His question was stopped before he could ask it from Dumbledore.

"I swore to keep his identity when he came to me."

Sirius could not stop but protest even though in his mind he knew that Draco would be safer away from them right now. So he resigned and decided to just meet the boy when this was all over.

James looked up at Remus and it seemed like they both agreed about something as James began to speak. "No one must know about this. We will continue the search as to not draw any suspicions, but we will make sure that if anything happens those sent to search could return back here immediately. He has the Werewolves protection should he ever need it."

Lily agreed to this by nodding her head. Albus gave a small smile to express his gratitude and for their understanding of the matter. The old vampire thought they were going to ask the child to join them in the upcoming war but it seems like James do not wish for Narcissa's child to join along in the war. As if the wolf could read his thoughts, he began to speak.

"I cannot ask him nor force him to fight a war that his mother never wanted him to participate in. Just by the way that Narcissa hid her pregnancy from all of us I could understand why she would not want his son to be born to fight a war she could not win. He has his own choice and whatever it is, I am willing to accept it", Remus and Molly nodded at this. They understood as Narcissa had given up too much for them to win the previous war.

"We could win this war," Sirius said. All eyes fell on him, questioning but he looked up with a grin on his lips, "with Narcissa's grimoire or I should call it _‘The Clock of Fate'_ —one of the Four Forbidden Grimoires."

....

Silver, mercurial eyes snapped open only to see nothing but the white ceiling. He suddenly sat up only to feel a tinge of a headache as he clutched his head with one of his hand and closed his eyes. He tried his hardest to remember what happened. When he did, his eyes snapped open once again.

"Take it easy, Marius," came the soft voice of someone he knew. When he looked at the person who was drawing soothing circles on his back, he was met with a slightly worried expression.

"Luna?" he voiced out.

Luna gave him a small but tentative smile before she moved away to pick up a glass of water and handed it to him. "Here, drink."

His mind was so muffled that he did not think but drink on the given liquid to him.  "Thank you," he said as he handed the glass back to her.

She took the glass from him and placed it near the tabletop.

"Uh, where are we?" Marius' eyesight was still muddled along with his brain apparently.

"Well, after I saw you collapsed at one of the alcoves, I rushed out to help you. I levitated you to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomphey was shocked."

Marius noticed that she was fiddling with her hands and so he released a sigh. "What is it that you want to ask me?"

Luna looked down at her hands and she seemed to be thinking it over whether she was going to ask it or not. When she looked up, Marius knew she had decided. "Marius, are you sick?"

Slightly, his eyes widened as he remembered himself coughing up black blood—rotten black blood that would soon happen to him often as the change and battle for his magic would begin within him. He felt pathetic letting a single word from Harry break him.

His eye twitched as he remembered Harry. His stomach churned as if he was going to vomit up that black goo all over again but a hand that suddenly held his took him back to reality.

"Marius?"

He did not realize he was clutching the sheets so tightly until he saw it. He released them slowly and feigned ignorance.

"I'm not sick Luna." He knew that did not convince the blonde.

She held his hand in her small ones tighter. "I know what I saw, Marius. There were—" Marius looked at her, pleading her not to say anything so she bit her lip and kept silent.

Madam Pomphrey soon came to check on him as her monitor showed that he was awake.

"Mr. Clarke, have you been pushing yourself too much from your studies?" The Matron huffed. "Honestly, you should take more care of yourself. Goodness, gracious, please do not scare me again."

Marius just smiled sheepishly at the woman who then placed her hands on her hips.

"Just last night you were involved in an incident. You should've listened to me and took some needed rest. Now stay here until tomorrow morning and I will not take a no for an answer," she commanded.

Marius nodded at her with a smile as she walked away muttering about stubborn students. Marius noticed that the Matron did not ask about the black blood. He turned to Luna who looked at him guiltily and she then began to speak.

"I'm sorry. I thought you might want to keep it a secret. You were muttering words like ‘no one must know' and so I thought—"

Marius then smiled at her. "Thank you, Luna. I don't really want anyone to know about it."

Luna looked up at him, eyes worried. He just clutched her hand in reassurance. Soon he yawned, feeling the tiredness all of a sudden. Luna tucked him in as she voiced out softly. "Don't worry, Marius. Your secret is safe with me." She gave him a smile and he could not help but see the tiny glint of something in her eyes but he could not place what it was as he once again fell into a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think?XD


	26. Gathering of the Clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im just popping in to leave this chap for you all! i am hoping you all will love this chapter just as i did writing it!XD
> 
> once again i am overwhelmed by how much this fanfic of mine has gone! so i have nothing more to say but thank you all so much for the support and it has been my greatest happiness to share this fanfic of mine! kudos to you all!
> 
> to my dear friend and beta Authlene thank you very much!
> 
> all remaining mistakes are mine, Happy reading to you all!XD

Within the confines of Hufflepuff’s dorm, inside the only room being occupied, a single form could be seen crumpled in the middle of what seemed to be a circle written with countless runes all around. Beau watched as his master—the one laying inside the circle—slept soundlessly, prepared to do anything if his master ever ensued an order upon him.

He remembered the day the first time such an event happened to his master back then. He was so little and yet the darkness seeped out from him just like it did before, but even the dog was able to tell that this darkness was different from what he had felt before when his master first experienced it. The runes kept the darkness from seeping out of his body and awakening to break his walls. It helps him from experiencing the nightmares it brings.

Suddenly, silver eyes opened. The irises are shifting from black to silver, but the dog was sure his master had not awoken yet. The black aura that the guardian dog had seen countless times emanating from his master the past few days was getting thicker and thicker like a black cloud that was slowly but surely trying to devour his master from within.

Slowly, the dog stood up. Its footsteps were quiet as the wind as it approached the rune circle that prevented the dark aura from continually consuming his master alive. Beau stood a mere inch from penetrating the small barrier. Without a single hesitation, the guardian dog breached the barrier. As soon as the dog was inside, the dark aura that seeped out began to latch upon him. The dog showed a huge dislike as the dark aura entered its body.

Soon the dog laid down next to his master, his head placed on top of his paws as the black aura transferred from his master to his own body. The dog remembered the memory he had when his master’s mother asked him to protect and assure that his little master did not befall to the darkness, so the dog who was exposed to such strong and powerful magic decided for himself that he would protect his little master from anything no matter what it took.

….

Hermione was feeling anxious as she watched the potion she stirred began to change color to a light grey, showing the signs that the potion is about to be finished. It just needed a few more days to stay in the cauldron for the stirring parts and it would soon be prepared. She was not worried about the potion, no, what she was most worried about was about Marius. She noticed the human was slightly unfocused for a few days already and he had been looking paler than he ever did before.

What was much more alarming was that the boy seemed to be isolating himself, only letting Orion close to him along with Luna which was not odd at all since he seemed to be more relaxed. There were times when he acted in pure indifference. She knew that he sometimes did that but there was just something cold about it. She could see it in his eyes.

A sudden intrusion in her barriers made her look up from where she was sitting and sat up to see who the intruder was. She was surprised when she saw the familiar mop of Harry’s hair. She released a breath she was holding and the tension in her shoulders left as she lowered her wand.

“Woah,” Harry voiced out, startled as well.

“I apologize. You took me by surprise,” Hermione voiced out but she suddenly felt that her barrier fell. She moved away from Harry to recast her barrier.

“Sorry about that,” Harry replied sheepishly and he started fidgeting, looking around as if to see if someone was with her.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at this. She watched Harry squirmed for a bit before she was sure that the werewolf would not say anything, then she asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Harry’s eyes snapped back to her, quivering like an open book. “What are you talking about? I was just here to check on the potion.” And just after that, Harry knew he was screwed.

Hermione’s knowing eyes swirled a bit with amusement before she sat back down on a cushion that she conjured near the wall. “Really, Harry. Since when have you been so keen and interested in potions?”

Harry really could never escape Hermione so he just released a huge sigh and resigned himself. Hermione then conjured up another cushion for Harry to sit on. “I was looking for Marius, okay?”

There was a gleam in Hermione’s eyes that made Harry sure the witch was not surprised to know why Harry was there.

“He is not here. He has been busy these past few days. Since he has done his part in assuring that I made the potion perfectly in which I did, he decided to leave the rest to me.”

Harry’s mouth formed into an o. Before he could stand up and leave to look for the blonde elsewhere, he was stopped by Hermione patting his arm. “What happened between you and him, Harry?”

Her voice was soft and hold a tinge of concern as her eyes tell it all. Harry could do nothing but remain in his seat and look down, guiltily. “Do you remember the night after I went berserk?” Hermione nodded her head and he continued. “He was there Hermione, that night I attacked him, and god knows what would have happened if Orion or the Headmaster was not there.”

Hermione gasped at this and held Harry’s hand for support.

“I could’ve killed him, Hermione. I have never understood why, but just the thought of that made me feel—dread.”

Hermione’s eyes widened at this. She was sure that the Harry she had always known was brave and determined. Yes, he had felt fear in losing a loved one but she had never seen the light in Harry’s emerald eyes dimmed like this. Now she started to wonder whether what Harry felt for Marius was greater than what she had imagined.

“But it did not happen, Harry. He is safe and protected—“ She was stopped from continuing by Harry.

“He is not safe with me.” Harry looked down and Hermione remained quiet, waiting for Harry to continue. “I fully know that. He felt something for me and yet when I pushed him away, I easily regretted that decision of mine. I did what was right because if my mate appears where would that lead us?”

That was then that Hermione figured out what had happened, but at that moment she could understand why Harry did what he did. She could also understand where Marius stand, he must’ve felt devastated when Harry mentioned his mate. She looked at her friend whose head was bowed, defeated and she scooted closer to give the werewolf a hug he needed.

“I am so sorry, Harry.” The werewolf clung to her and she allowed it. Her friend was right in front of her and yet she had not seen just how much he had fallen. “What you did was right, Harry. You are not wrong because if your relationship with him had escalated, it would be much harder to let him go and he will be the one to end up broken.”

“I know that, but why letting him go hurts so much then?”

Hermione could feel her shoulder slightly wet with tears that the werewolf seemed to repress. She patted Harry’s head to soothe him. She allowed him to have this moment. She knew that Harry had always had to be strong for all the people who relied on him. He was never allowed to be weak, to weep, to be this vulnerable. This was something that they both shared as a future leader of the witches and him the future leader, prophesized to destroy the Dark Lord.

“I know,” she whispered quietly in the silence of the room. She knew that he had heard it.

A few minutes later, Harry seemed to have calmed down as he slowly eased out of the hug and took in a deep breath. He looked up at Hermione. She gave him a small smile.

“I apologize for that, Hermione, and thank you.” He returned the smile.

Hermione just shook her head at him. “No need to thank me, Harry. We are like siblings.”

Harry chuckled at that as he stood up. Pocketing his hands on his robes, he bowed slightly at Hermione once again in thanks as he began to leave. Then Hermione felt something odd in the surroundings.

“Wait.”

Harry stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, his eyebrows rising, and Hermione watched as the traces of magic, her barrier once again broken. She raised her wand to her left as she cast a spell.

“Resero.” She watched as the spell bounced back and showed no intruders or anyone who have broken her barrier. Harry looked alert of his surroundings, his hands clenching prepared to attack.

“What is wrong?” he asked and Hermione shook her head. Her mind whirring as she watched the remnants of her magic swirling close to Harry as if he was absorbing it. But she shook her head since such a thing was possible. She looked up at Harry to assure him that it was nothing.

“Nothing, Harry. I just thought… Never mind.”

Harry gave her a small teasing smile as he replied.

“You are losing your touch, Hermione. Get some rest,” he said as he waved his hand while he was walking away.

Hermione shouted back. “Says the one who needs it most!” She smiled a bit knowing that the werewolf had heard it.

She then looked down at her wand, flexing her hand around it. She must be tired of her magic to feel this weak, but she steeled herself and recast the barrier. Conjuring a small couch, she settled on it as she set an alarm for her to be woken before dinner. She still needed to stir the potion 12 times clockwise. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off to sleep.

….

Draco woke up to the sight of the inside of the rune circle he made days after he had felt the effects of the change in his magic and soul. He looked around to search for Beau, only to see the dog walking towards him. His mouth carrying a cloak he was familiar with. He smiled and ruffled Beau’s fur as the dog settled next to him. He leaned slightly to his guardian and he was reminded that soon after he casts the ward, he would leave.

He clutched the cloak close to him as he whispered to his guardian. “Soon, Beau, it’s just going to be the two of us again.”

The silence of the room and the breathing of Beau was the only thing he heard but that gave him some sense of comfort despite his imbalance with his magic. He had been staying inside the rune circle for as long as he could for days to prepare himself for this day. He could never cast a Blood ward perfectly if his magic was not in balance, but for tonight he felt the calmness of his magic from within him and he prayed.

He prayed to no one that he would succeed in his promise to the Headmaster that he would protect one of the places that his mother loved. That this place is a beacon of hope for those who have lost it because this is the place where he felt alive.

Standing up from where he sat, he gave his dog a pat on the head along with a small smile. He placed on his cloak over his clothes, removing all pieces of evidence that he was even a student at Hogwarts. Walking towards his trunk, he kneeled down in front of it, Beau following him and watching closely as if knowing what he was about to do.

Draco opened up the latch of his trunk. He pushed it up to reveal nothing inside of it. With a swish of his hand, a hidden compartment appeared in the corner of the trunk. Draco lifted up the small rectangular box, something he thought he would never have to resort to using but to cast a ward he would need it. He placed the small box on top of his trunk as he closed it.

With trembling fingers, he held at the middle part of the box and he felt a needle prick his finger. He watched his blood flowed at the lines carved around the rectangular box leading to a keyhole. A click echoed in the room and he lifted the cover of the box to reveal what he had never seen in years.

Hawthorn, ten inches with unicorn hair as its core, he held the wand in his hand and he closed his eyes feeling the familiar tinge of his magic in it. He opened his eyes and a smile graced his lips. Looking back in the mirror standing next to his closet, he waved his wand and felt his magic settled to his whole being as the glamour set in.

Now, he has long blonde hair braided on one side. His once silver eyes melted into that of icy blue. His pale complexion stayed the same and his robes now turned into a simple white dress that reached his knees. His sharp features softened giving him a petite look of an innocent girl at the age of 15. Seeing the pendant in his reflection, he knew he had to remove that as well. Closing his eyes, he prayed to whatever god that his aunt would never find him, for him to keep this promise. Removing the clasp of the necklace, he felt the flow of his magic return back to his veins as if the chains that held him down were no longer there and he felt free. He felt as if he could do anything and for that night, he would do anything to cast the Blood ward.

He looked back at his dog and gave him a small smile. He leaned down and with his voice changed when he spoke he thought at once that he sounded a bit like his mother. “Wish me luck, Beau.”

With those as his words, he apparated to the Headmaster’s office with a pop.

….

After dinner, the hallways of Hogwarts was quiet, like the calm before the storm.

Albus Dumbledore assured that all of Hogwarts occupants would be asleep other than him, Minerva and Draco. The new recreation of the wards was going to be cast for tonight and he was anxious. He understood so little about the Prophecy that Narcissa whispered upon them when the Blood ward of Gryffindor lands was renewed to its former strength.

A pop of apparition was heard in the room, cutting him off from his musings. What he saw almost knocked him off of his feet, literally. There standing in front of him was a face he thought he would never think he would see again. She was without a doubt a witch who held immense power. He was reminded of the day he first met Narcissa Black. However, as he looked closer he could see that the one standing in front of him was not her but her child.

The shock was imminent his face for a while before he gathered himself up and looked straight at those icy blue eyes that held kindness within them. “I apologize, Draco, you looked just like your mother.”

Draco just gave him a serene smile and he shook his head. “I am always told of that by Mrs. Clarke whenever I took this form. I understand Professor.”

“Then shall we go, Draco?”

Draco looked up at the Headmaster. “Call me Lyra. It is what my name would’ve been if I was a girl.” He smiled at the Headmaster as he nodded and they walked side by side, Lyra raising her hood to cover her face and the two headed off to the Great Hall where Minerva was waiting for their arrival.

….

Harry awoke with a start. He could feel his wolf squirming deep inside of him to be released, to be let out. Harry knows that if the urge ever comes he knew he could never stop his wolf from trying to come out. However, he could not allow himself to transform inside of the dorms. Releasing a tired sigh, he removed his blanket, changed his clothes as quietly as possible and stepped out of the rooms.

He thought it was enough to come out of his room but this was something else, something out of Gryffindor Tower was calling upon him. The urge to transform and prowl in the night to search for what made him agitated was strong but he controlled it. So he just opted to go out and have a walk outside. Opening the door, he stepped out of the Tower only to have the agitated feeling increase. He wrinkled his nose to smell the air but there was nothing in it. He ignored his wolf and decided to walk around.

….

Minerva McGonagall waited in front of the huge doors of the Great Hall for Dumbledore. She was baffled as to why the Headmaster would call upon her alone at this time of the night. But knowing that odd, unpredictable vampire, she just stood by and waited. Soon she heard clicks of two pairs of shoes which made her raise an eyebrow as she was not informed of another person coming along. She waited until the two figures came into one of the torches of light in the hall.

She was surprised when she felt the power emanating from the child that stood beside the old vampire that her hands fell to her sides. Soon Albus’ face was seen and the child, no it was not a child as she stood quite tall next to Albus. Her face obscured by a huge hood. She waited until the vampire introduced them as she could not form any words.

“Shall we proceed inside?” Albus began to voice out.

Minerva was cut off from her staring. She coughed to hide her surprise. She, along with the child, followed Dumbledore inside the Great Hall. As soon as they were inside, the door closed and the magic weaved in it assuring that no one would be able to enter.

“Severus,” Dumbledore voiced out and Minerva was again taken by surprise when she saw the brooding vampire in one of the corners of the Great Hall.

“Do you really think that I would not sense something like this?” the vampire voiced out his hands crossed.

The Headmaster merely smiled at him. “No, I never thought that this would escape your notice. After all, you have worked the longest as a spy for the Order in the past.”

Minerva had her suspicions but hearing this made everything clear.

“How were you able to sway from complete submission to the Dark Lord?” Minerva began to ask her voice unwavering and Severus scowled at her.

“I found a loop-hole. When the Dark Lord disappeared years ago, it gave me time to research more about the Mark, but I only found little knowledge about it.” Minerva’s eyebrow rose at this feeling a huge respect to the vampire in front of her. She listened as Severus explained. “Long story short, I found out that perfecting what you witches call Occulemency would be the perfect shield from him truly controlling me further.”

Minerva caught that word as she voiced out wanting to know more. “Further?”

“Yes, unlike the Lestranges and the other families who now are now wholly loyal to him, since our previous Elder died, they all have the capability of resisting but they have already given up hope and in fear of death. They have no choice but to obey. They all went insane when they realized their treachery against our Elder and in their time of weakness, the Dark Lord whispered to all of us. He promised us power and told us that the crime we committed there will be no going back.”

The room fell silent at this as both Minerva and Dumbledore knew how hard the blow of losing the vampire Elder caused to the vampire clan.

“Well, I leave you to whatever it is that you plan to do,” he turned back but before he could walk away a line of light appeared in front of him. His eyes followed this to see that it was a circle surrounding all four of them. Severus’ eyes found those icy blue eyes that seem to understand his whole being and asked.

“What is the meaning of this, witch?”

But the witch did not answer, instead, her eyes turned to Albus and the Headmaster nodded and answered.

“Understood.” Those twinkling eyes then turned to Severus before he replied, “It seems Lyra here found you worthy of being a part of the Blood Ward.”

Before Severus could retort, a barrier enveloped them from the line of light that surrounded them.

“Shall we begin?” Lyra, for the first time, spoke. She certainly did not need a response as she closed her eyes, lifted her wand and began chanting. The three adults watched as some other new lines erupted and are slowly creating runic patterns as if etching themselves on the floor.

“Who is this witch, Albus?” Minerva asked as she could feel the magic weaving itself slowly into the internal magic of Hogwarts without a single resistance from the magic that protects the castle.

Dumbledore answered her back without looking at her as he as well watched the witch weave her magic. “Her name is Lyra. That is all the answer that I will provide you with as she wishes her identity to be hidden.”

“So this could also mean that it is possible that, that is not her true form?” Minerva asked and Dumbledore merely smiled at her his eyes twinkling.

“Do not worry. I have no idea what your plans are Headmaster, but is it wise for a stranger like her to weave her magic amongst these walls?”

She raised her eyebrows at the Headmaster but he only replied, no lies nor doubt in his eyes. “I trust her with my life itself.”

With that, Minerva no longer asked any more questions. She looked at the witch who was almost finished with the spell, but also she turned at her side to look at Severus, whose eyes looked closed off, his face stern.

The witch then held out her hands to both Severus and Minerva and the two Professors without any hesitation held out their hands to her. She held the upturned hand of Professor McGonagall and with her wand in her other hand she pointed it at Minerva’s hand and whispered. Blood began to flow from it. Before it spilled, she then turned to Severus Snape and did the same.

Both hands flowed with blood as they held it up at the center of the rune circle. As soon as their blood dripped, the color of the runes turned red, then it flowed to the etched marks on the floor until it reached the edges of the circle.

They all watched as Lyra then closed her eyes again and chanted. The rune circle expanding and a bright red light flashed from the ground. They all covered their eyes until all they could feel was the new ward surrounding the whole of Hogwarts.

“It is done,” Lyra voiced out.

Dumbledore nodded as he could also feel the new ward as it was stronger since it was merged with the old one. He looked down to see the ground empty of the etched runes and asked. “I thought this was going to be the center of the ward. How come there are no marks?”

Lyra’s smile was not lost on the three of them. “The ward’s center is here on the Great Hall. I made it so small that even if they try to find it and destroy it, they would never be able to find it.”

Dumbledore had to chuckle at that. “That was smart of you.”

Minerva coughed, getting their attention. “It was an honor to meet you, Miss Lyra, and thank you for what you have done for Hogwarts.” She just smiled at her as if it was nothing and before Minerva could even voice out, questions Dumbledore then began to steer Lyra away.

“Come along, my dear, your Portkey awaits.” He then began to walk away along with Lyra who followed him.

“Might I have a word with you, Headmaster?” Severus’ voice sounded that he was not having any objections.

The Headmaster just looked back at him and nodded. “We shall head to my office then. Minerva, I am sure you are exhausted. I bid you good night.”

The Headmaster’s words were final and even if Minerva wanted to ask more questions, she knew she had to ask them some other time. “Of course, Headmaster.”

She watched as the three left the Great Hall. She followed but with one last glance at the Great Hall, she could still see that things that occurred and could feel the magic humming. She was sure she could never look at the Great Hall the same way again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all comments are welcome! thank you for the read!XD


	27. Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo!  
> This chapter has been sitting on my laptop for a while now and I just had the time now to update due to the institution called ‘college’ taking up all of my time. I don’t know when my next update will be since I am almost(hopefully) about to graduate by next year. Also I apologize for giving out all these cliffhangers, I just cant help it, so forgive me please hahah. Anyway I hope you all would love this chapter as I did writing it! 
> 
> Thank you to the lovely Authlene for editing this chapter despite your busy sched, hugs to you my dear!
> 
> And ofcourse to all of you my dear readers, thank you for all the support, for reading this fic of mine, to all the kudos, the comments are all very lovely they made my day, and just thank you so much, hugs to all of you as well!!
> 
> I give you this chapter! Enjo~y!!
> 
> -mel

The three are now inside the Headmaster's office and Dumbledore was looking for a sort of Portkey to give Lyra— _Draco_ —but it seemed like the grumpy vampire figured it all out.

"You could now drop the glamour that you hold, Draco Black."

Draco's eyes widened as he looked up from his hood to the Potion's Professor. He sighed after a while as he removed his hood.

"I knew that I could never escape your sharp eyes no matter how I hide, but I can't drop the glamour yet since it was usually set for a few more minutes. It's like a Polyjuice Potion," he explained and grinned up at the Potion's Professor.

"Cheeky brat. I will not ask why you tagged me along with your ward."

Draco gave a sheepish smile to him and Dumbledore began to ask.

"When did you found out that he was Draco Black?" he sat in his chair and began to reach one his candies in the bowl on his table.

The Potion's Professor rolled his eyes as if it was obvious to him. "As soon as he cast the circle that blocked my path from leaving," he drawled as he sat at one of the chairs in the Headmaster's office, placing both of his hands to its respective armrest.

"I apologize for that Professor," he said but the amusement dancing in his eyes told another story. He was glared at in return but Draco knew that there was no malice in them as he saw the swirl of amusement in the vampire's eyes as well.

"Brat! You better run off to your dorms now and not get caught," he huffed and a giggle erupted from Draco's feminine lips as he began to step back.

"Thank you, Professor." Draco gave a small bow to the two Professors before he began to leave the room, still feeling the euphoria of the feel of his magic in his veins after sealing it. He decided to head off for a walk while the glamour had not worn off.

"Why did you not inform me that Draco Black has been here in this castle prancing about as Marius Clarke?"

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled and Severus was growing irate at his manners.

"I thought you would notice despite the veiling of goblin magic along with Narcissa's protection on him. Surely you would have noticed just by him manners?"

The Potion Professor's eyes twitched. "You think I have not thought of that the moment I have seen her glamoured as a girl?" Severus drawled with irritation in his voice but then he sighed calming himself, knowing that losing his temper talking to this old vampire would just tire him out.

"Tea?" Dumbledore merely asked and he could clearly feel the irritation seeping off Severus' in waves.

"But when I taught him in my class, I never once associated him that much with Narcissa. Yes, there were similarities but his manners were—" before he could voice out something he shook his head and the Headmaster watched him with keen eyes as he lowered his cup.

"Familiar, isn't it?" Severus' eyes locked with the Headmaster's as if in silent conversation before the two dismissed the idea in their heads.

"Had you not been taken by the Mark, years ago, you would've been more fitting to lead our astray race." Dumbledore's eyes were sad as if he was regretting the things that happened years ago.

Severus' lips thinned as bitter memories of what he had done during the haze of the Dark Mark that etched on his skin made him do.

"It was a thing of the past, one that I am now assuring to fix. Besides, I am much more fit to this role." He stood up, clearly deciding that their talk was over. However, he was stopped in his tracks by the Headmaster's words.

"Lucius would disagree to that. He never blamed you for what happened."

The Potion's Master did not look back and the Headmaster could see the tension and the slight sag of his shoulders.

"I know."

Dumbledore could not help but ask, his eyes so full of sadness for the man in front of him hoping he could do more for him. "After all this time you still think it is your fault he died?"

That was then that the Potion's Master snapped back at the Headmaster, his eyes filled with something that even the Headmaster could not decipher.

"If only he had left me back there to rot and not try to remove this mark in my hand then…Then his strength would not have diminished and he would be alive today!" , the rage in his eyes was evident but Dumbledore knew they were not directed at him.

He knew the reason why Severus was able to waver from the ultimate loyalty that the mark demands from its holder. That was not because of the reason he gave Minerva, but it was because Lucius Malfoy tried to remove the Mark from him. Only halfway successful and lost a substantial amount of power in the process. In order not to put his efforts in vain, he decided to become a spy for the Order.

"But if that had not occurred, many of us would have fallen," Dumbledore reasoned out, but the Potion's Master looked away from him his cloak billowing as he began to walk out.

"Perhaps." He opened the door and walked out.

Dumbledore sighed looked out in the window as memories flashed in his mind.

He watched as a young and cheerful Lucius drag an equally young but shy Severus to introduce themselves to him in the past. Every vampire knew that Severus Snape was an honorary Malfoy the day that they found the child abused at his own home, the Prince household. His mother had become demented when he lost her husband in a horrible accident. Since Severus looked quite like his own father, his mother began to despise him. Then long after the abuse, she killed herself in front her own child and that left a huge blow to the young Severus.

It took a long time for the child to finally open up to the boisterous Lucius, but had indeed saved that child from his self-destruction and now once again Severus was headed down that road again. Many of them blamed the Dark Lord for what he made Severus do. Just the thought of it made his blood boil in hate for the Dark Lord. Severus who swore loyalty, who was saved by the Malfoy Family, was forced to kill the same family that he only ever loved.

 

….

 

Harry was anxious as he ran through the halls to the place where he could finally smell the sweet scent from. He could not explain it at first why he was driven to go out that particular night but as soon as he caught a whiff of it, he could no longer stop himself from running. The scent at first reminded him of something so familiar to him that he had to smell his surroundings twice to assure himself. Now it was no doubt at what he smelt: it smelt of rain, pine, vanilla and an unknown spice that he could not name.

Reaching the Great Hall and pushing its huge doors open was a feeble task for him, but as he pushed the door and saw the inside of the Great Hall, he was filled with disappointment. The scent still lingered but the person within is no longer there. He could not help the whine that he emitted, so he did the most reasonable thing; he shifted into his wolf form.

In the silence of the Great Hall, his body morphed into his huge black wolf. His green eyes piercing in the light of the torches lit ablaze inside the Great Hall. As soon as he felt his body accustomed once again to the change, he began his hunt. His snout rose up in the air and sniffed, there were different scents mixed in the air and was able to recognize them as Professor McGonagall, Snape, the Headmaster and the one scent he has been desiring to find since the day he woke up with the mark on his arm. He followed the direction of the scent like a wolf parched of water. With that, he bolted out of the Great Hall and into the corridors of Hogwarts.

 

……

 

Draco sat at one of the many branches of the Whomping Willow, looking up at the sky as he waited for the first signs of snow. He huffed out a breath he was holding and the puff of air he released could be seen visibly due to the cold. He no longer tugged on his cloak as he could feel his magic warming him up still. He closed his eyes at the feel of the wind on his cheek, counting down the minutes until the glamour feel away and he would be back to his normal body.

But his eyes snapped open when he heard the snap of a twig behind him. He looked back as quickly as he could and drew his wand as he now stood on the branch. Green and icy blue met and Draco's grip on his wand tightened as he thought, _‘Ugh, why now, Harry? Can there be not a time that he does not go out of the tower?'_

Both of them stared at each other, one with recognition and one filled with awe and adoration. Draco's eyebrow wrinkled at this as he wondered why were those kinds of emotions in the wolf's eye directed at him currently. He looked down as he then pocketed his wand showing that he meant no harm. The werewolf backed away slightly to show that he meant no harm as well. When Draco was about to go down the tree, his shoes suddenly slipped at the slippery edge of the branch. He watched as the once huge and majestic black wolf suddenly morphed into its human form and in a quick swift, Draco fell into his arms.

 

…..

 

Harry looked down at the petite thing in his arms, his heart beating loudly. His wolf was howling with uncontrolled joy and the happiness he was feeling could stay for days. He stared at his whole world. He inspected the girl in his arms and memorized everything about her. He thinks he could never ever forget how those pale cheeks became tinted with red matching the color of her lips. Those icy blue eyes that reminded Harry of the calmness of the sky, but as he delved deeper into those pools, he could see spots of silver and to him, they looked as if they were sparkling. He was probably smiling like a loon for all he cared but as he tightened his hold upon the girl in his arms, he could care less for what he looked at the moment.

Meanwhile, Draco looked up to those emerald eyes that was now looking down at him with so much adoration that the fluttering in his stomach wouldn't shut up no matter how much he willed for it to stop. His heart was beating so loudly that he was sure the werewolf with sharp senses could hear it. He wanted to look away but he found out that he was captured, frozen to stare up at those eyes that looked at him as if he was the world, like he was life itself and Draco could not stop himself from shaking and the arms that held him tightened as if afraid to ever let him go. He was about to protest to the werewolf to be released but he did not expect what Harry did next. He leaned down and kissed his temple. He felt those warm lips and it did better than any warming charm he ever knew as it melted and warmed the coldness he felt within his heart.

His feminine blue eyes widened and he felt his throat close up. His brain could not comprehend what had just occurred that he was still stunned when Harry had already released his smaller body and placed his feet on the ground so he could stand up.

Then Draco did the only thing he was good at and he glared up at the wolf and stepped back only to cross his arms. In this form, he could only look up at Harry's huge stature.

"What was that for?" he voiced out. His voice, higher than it usually was to match his girl form, was convincing enough as not to shake from what he was currently feeling on the inside. The damned werewolf only smiled at him lovingly and raised his hand to his cheek and brushing it as if memorizing the feel of his face in his hand. Draco, always wanting Harry to do this to him in his true form, almost leaned into the touch.

"Don't you feel it?" Harry voiced out.

Draco stepped back again and a whimper was emitted by the wolf as he let his hand fall to his side.

"Feel what?" A pale eyebrow rose to that question and Harry then began to roll his sleeve up, showing the soulmate mark of a witch on his arm. Icy blue eyes widened even further at the mark etched so beautifully upon his arm. It was the first time Draco had seen the mark of Harry's soulmate in his arm and this made the blood of Draco boiled.

He scoffed at it as he replied. "Showing off much?" he crossed his arms in a defensive manner. He was about to step away when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The mark on Harry's arm was much more prominent for him to see.

Draco unknowingly gritted his teeth at the sight of the mark, wanting to erase it and replace it with his own mark. However, he could not deny just how beautiful it looked, the swirls of the runes written, translating an unbreakable bond forming the infinity mark.

"I am not showing it off." Draco could not bear to look up at those eyes in fear of the emotions that are going to be surely seen through his eyes. "You really don't know a thing, don't you?"

Draco was prepared to give Harry a piece of his mind but was stunned by Harry's reply when he snapped back at him.

"It's your mark."

The voice died in Draco's throat once he heard those words. He was left stunned, his eyes wide and unbelieving.

"I guess you are younger than me that's why you can't still feel the connection between us." The werewolf tentatively took Draco's much smaller hands in his and clasped them together. "But I could feel it. Your scent calls upon me and from the moment I saw you, I already knew you are mine"

That was then that Draco realized his mistake. The sudden outburst of his magic released the seal that his mother placed upon him to hide his very identity, the one that hid him as her son. He realized that now that the Family Tree of the Blacks would now show his identity, but he was glad that he still could not be tracked.

Draco's lips trembled as he could not believe what Harry just told him. Without him knowing it, a single tear escaped his eye and Harry looked like he was stricken. His face once full of happiness now full of worry and as if he was hurt.

"What is wrong?" He held up his hand to touch Draco's face and it was warm, so warm that Draco could not help but lean into it as he whispered back.

"This is not possible. Why now?", Draco closed his eyes as he bowed. His mind was so conflicted that he did not know what to do. The glamour did not change anything about him just merely converting his gender to that of a female's. A werewolf's senses when it came to their mates are never wrong. If Harry had claimed him, even in this form, as his then this changes everything. He decided to make a bet. With everything on the line, he could feel the magic of the glamour slowly ebbing away from his body. He stepped back. He could imagine Harry's confused expression as he did so.

"Would you still call me yours if you ever found out who I really am?"

Harry's eyes widened at this clearly clueless.

"What do you mean?"

Draco could do nothing but smile as the snow he had been waiting for began to fall from the sky and his glamour falling away with it.

 

…..

 

Harry watched as the girl's form in front of him began to change drastically as if the magic that covered her, now washed away by the touch of the snow to her pale cheeks. Harry's eyes widened when he was now finally met with familiar grey eyes and a sad-like smile appearing on the face he was now so overly familiar with.

"Marius?" Harry could not help but voice out, wanting to know what just happened. He was confused but his instinct still screamed at him that the one standing in front of him belonged to him. His mate, his everything. He studied the boy he had known for a few months now and he could not help but see that he was as beautiful as the day he met him. But with the snow that was falling over them now, Harry could not help but think he looked like an ethereal creature that even he could not reach.

The snowflakes beginning to stick at his pale eyelashes. His cheeks meshing along with the now becoming white background, his hair now short framing his face. A few stray strands began to cover his face as the wind began to pick up and sway it and Harry wanted nothing more than to brush it away from his face. Marius then began to lift his slender hand that Harry was sure would fit perfectly with his slightly bigger hand to curl up his hair on one side and Harry could not stop the skip of his heart.

Finally, those eyes. Those piercing grey eyes that see him as if he was just Harry. Harry who was just a werewolf, a human, one who didn't see him as anyone special, one who saw him for him and not some prophesized savior. And all Harry ever wished at that moment for it not to be a lie. He had wanted it to be so true so badly that he would even twist fate if he could to make this a reality. He never wanted this moment to be just a dream.

But there was so much at stake, so many questions that needed to be answered, so many things that he wanted to ask him. But as if everything was just blurred away from his mind as his heartbeat and longed to hold the one standing in front of him. Everything felt so right and wrong at that moment for him as soon as he voiced out his reply to him.

"I think you should call me Draco."

 

….

 

Orion's arm stung that he doubled over at one of the hallways while he was headed off to his Head of House's office to talk to him about him being a spy. He knew it was already late and he was sure that there would be hell to pay if he ever decided to wake the old vampire from his sleep but Orion thought it will be worth it. Besides, he could always rebuttal that he needed a potion to ease the pain that their so-called Dark Lord is causing him at the moment. He just hoped he would be forgiven.

But he never thought that the Dark Lord was getting impatient at getting his seal removed. He knocked as quick as possible at the door. He was met with a glare as soon as the door opened. However, when Severus saw the sweat in his brow and the ragged breath he was dragged inside quick as lightning.

"Sit." Orion did as he was told.

The Professor began to rummage through his potions stock for a vial. Once he found what he was looking for, he handed it to Orion but the Slytherin almost dropped it due to the pain in his arm. Snape had no choice but to make the vampire drink the vial as he tipped his head along with it. He massaged his neck to assure that the young vampire swallowed it. Orion then felt a bit better from the pain and he did not notice it suddenly when he blurted out.

"I am gonna be a spy for the werewolves' side."

Severus' eyes widened as his head snapped back to glare at Orion.

"You fool!" Severus shouted at him as he stomped back to clutch the boy's necktie as if to let him know the consequence of what he planned to do with his life.

"Being a spy like me— Are you out of your bloody mind, Orion?!" But that steel-like determination in his eyes made the grumpy Professor be convinced. He then released the boy from his grasp as he then leaned back to his nearest chair.

"It will not be easy, it will never be easy. There will be times when I won't be there, you brat."

Orion knew now to associate the word _‘brat'_ as an affectionate gesture of the grumpy vampire as he grinned up at him.

"You don't have to worry about me, Professor."

Severus' eyes narrowed and he huffed. "Do not get cocky, Orion. But might I ask, how did were you able to bow yourself to Potter and gain his trust? Don't tell me you begged?"

A growl erupted from Orion as he scrunched up his nose. He crossed his hands and scoffed. "Ha! As if that wolf could ever make me work for him. My loyalty lies somewhere else. Thank you very much."

Severus hummed at this. "And upon who does your loyalties lie?"

Orion looked up at him, his eyes like daggers and he pocketed his hands. "Just like where I know your loyalties lie to family, so do I."

Severus' eyebrow rose at this confused as he thought hard. He knew just how much Orion despises his parents for what they did to him, cutting him off from his mate. Then his eyes widened slightly at the word _‘family'_ that Orion voiced out. Orion seemed to have noticed this as he grinned a spark of happiness in his eyes.

"My loyalty lies to him and no one else. If ending the war is what he ever desires, I will willingly shake hands with Potter to fulfill it."

Severus saw a bit of himself upon Orion and he could not help but have a small smile on his lips as he drawled.

"Brat."

 

….

 

A little after midnight, Nymphadora surveyed the parts of the castle bit by bit. Over the time she was at Hogwarts, she found out that a certain section where this particular bathroom had a secret tunnel leading down somewhere. Finding the entrance, she had to try a lot of different revealing spells but none worked. The only thing that made her find the entrance of the Chamber was the mark of a snake on the faucet.

Pulling out the necklace she brought along with her from the inside of her uniform, the green locket with a snake engraved in it shone in the light of the bathroom. She flicked her hand to prevent anyone from entering the Girls Bathroom while she was inside. She removed the clasp and held out the locket to the faucet where the snake design was in. She waited for a while before she infused a forceful amount of magic in the locket.

As if on cue, the locket shook slightly and afterward, she heard the opening of a door and gears moving to finally reveal to her the entrance to the Chamber where Salazar Slytherin's familiar's slumbered. A wicked smile appeared on her lips when she gazed back at the locket she held.

"Works like a charm as Mother said."

She clasped back the necklace then she glanced down the rabbit hole to the Chamber. She flicked the blonde hair. Looking back to make sure that the spell she cast would not be broken, she fell back.

The cold slightly damp floor of a ground full of snake skeletons appeared on view as Nymphadora within Luna's body jumped from the unused girls' bathroom where she found that god awful ghost who wouldn't stop crying as if anyone cared about her tears. She banished the ghost easily to the toilet where she crawled from with a single flick of her hand. A door with fingers that were actually real-like snakes once again greeted her. She clutched the necklace again and as if on sync, the door's mechanism began to move as the snakes curved out of the way to open the door.

She pushed away from the door and the Chamber that greeted her was not what she expected. The cold floor was slightly damp from what seemed to be countless tunnels in the sides of the Chamber. In the middle of it was a carved face of Salazar Slytherin. She walked calmly towards it, stopping just a few meters from the carved face. She lifted her hand willing the soul of the pendant to call upon the familiar hidden within, but the mouth of the carved face would not open.

"Tsk, still struggling even after in death. Well, not like I could call you dead since you are but a soul. Still, I guess that would do for now, wouldn't it?" A malicious smile graced her lips as she released a sigh that was as if she was going to enjoy every moment she was about to do.

"Don't worry, I am very patient, unlike my mother who would surely force you to submission. Though, this will be an interesting game between us." She smiled as she turned back on her heels, walking back to the entrance but continued talking.

"I have always loved a challenge. I could do this until tomorrow. What about you—" She looked down at the pendant that seemed to look up at her and she laughed as she could sense the soul trying to break out.

"—Lucius Malfoy?"

The locket glinted in the light as if glaring at her but could do nothing.


End file.
